Looking into His Eyes
by IntoTheDeep27
Summary: For most of her life, Uchiha Izumi viewed the Senju Clan as the enemy. Using this as an opportunity, the Elders taught her to kill, to hate, and to think of them as evil. But what if the Elders were mistaken? What if the Senju were not all...evil? All it took to change Izumi's fate and of the Uchiha around her was one look at the red eyes of a certain Senju. [SI-OC, Semi AU]
1. Rebirth

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY CHARACTERS FROM NARUTO BESIDES IZUMI, MY OWN OC.

**A/N: **_Well, I know I should be working on In Time but I just couldn't get my mind of the thought of this story so ta-da! This is another OC story, something that I don't regret xD Well, I hope you enjoy this new story :)_

* * *

"**There's a rebirth that goes on with us continuously as human beings. I don't understand, personally, how you can be bored. I can understand how you can be depressed, but I just don't understand boredom."**

_Dustin Hoffman_

* * *

**Rebirth**

I died on my 20th birthday. Ironic isn't it? Dying on the day you were born. I bet some asshole up there is laughing at my stupid ass. But hey, I _was_ the idiot that didn't look both ways when crossing the road.

I didn't have a very interesting life; I grew up with my parents, a little brother, and a dog. We were literally the splitting image of the typical American suburban family, and I _despised_ it. Everybody in my town knew each other; whether or not you were a 10 year old boy or a 70 year old grandma. That why I wanted something new, something _different_. I didn't want to be the small town girl from Michigan; I wanted to be a city girl from New York, Tokyo, or even Paris. I wanted to go those big cities and just _live_. So that's exactly what I did. Of course, my high school life was nonexistent because of this. I went to school and studied, I went home and studied. This continued for the whole four years of high school. But my studying paid off and I was able to get into Tokyo University, and guess where it's located at? Tokyo.

I was free and happy. I lived in Tokyo, one of the cities that I absolutely loved. Japan was the country of anime, hot springs, and _sushi_. There was so much freedom! Imagine this in your head, a girl that was basically chained down during her teen years because of religion and family just set free the moment she moved out. Yeah, that ain't good. I still got the good grades though; I couldn't let my parents money go to waste after all.

You see, in Japan, the legal age for drinking is 20, not 21 like in America. That's why I drank myself stupid not even two hours after the clock struck midnight to indicate my "coming of age". And that's…it. After I partied, I walked home and got hit by a car.

So that was my life. Nothing exciting, nothing interesting, not like I wished my life was. I was quite sad that I wouldn't be able to see my little brother get married, one of my life goals. I was pretty sad I didn't have a boyfriend too.

If I think about it, I forgot to send my brother that box full of Naruto goodies like he asked me too this morning. Damn.

Ugh, can my life get any worse?

…Wait, I don't even have a life.

Duh.

Let me tell you this though, dying sucks. I absolutely _don't_ recommend it. There's like nothing to do since all you're actually doing is floating around in complete darkness. You can't see anything, even your own body. There's nothing around you, yet alone touch. Have I mentioned there's no sound?

Like I said, I don't recommend it.

All I could do while I floated around was think about the life choices I mad throughout my life. I wondered if my friends would mourn my death.

Shit, who's going to take care of my dog Maple?

Stuff like this makes me regret dying.

…Wait, what was that bright light I saw over there?

Hehe, I'm gonna go see.

Now before you say _anything_ (like calling me an idiot) I'll ask you this. What do you think you'll do when you've been stuck in the dark _forever_? Stay where you've been this whole time (in the dark) or go to the new thing over there that could possibly be your ticket way out of this dump?

Yeah, I'd go to the light.

It almost felt like swimming while I tried reaching the light. It was _so_ weird. Every time I tried reaching for it, it kept moving backwards.

…Wait, how did I get here?

Oh well, I guess I should just follow the light. The moment I actually touched that goddamn thing, I fell.

And fell.

And fell.

What are all these images I'm seeing right now? I reached out to touch one and the moment I did, bright light flashed all around me.

Oh my god, the pain.

The pain, make it stop! Please!

It hurts ithurtssomuch-

…Who…am…I…?

* * *

"Madara?"

"Yes Izumi?" A little girl raised her arms above her head. "Can you carry me?" She looked at him with her eyes wide opened, almost like a puppy. Madara sighed and she knew exactly what that meant, she had won.

"…Alright." When he went to pick her up, a little boy ran up behind Izumi.

"Hey, not fair! How come Izumi gets to be carried and not me?" Izumi stuck her tongue out to the little boy who happened to be her twin brother.

"Because I asked him first Izuna." She said. Before Madara could stop him though, Izuna tackled Izumi to the ground, causing the little girl to hit her head against a large rock.

"…Izumi?" The girl laid there motionless, only the slight rising and falling from her chest prevented her from looking dead. Madara's eyes widened and he fell to his knees to check Izumi's head. When he removed his hands, he saw blood on them.

"Damn it! Izuna, go get Katsumi." The boy stood there motionless, fear in his eyes. "Now!" Madara snapped. Izuna took one last look at his twin sister and ran off to find Katsumi, his older brother by three years.

"Izumi? Can you hear me?" Madara tried asking. He knew it was pointless; his little sister was out cold. He gently picked her up and carefully started walking towards the main house. When he reached the house, he could see Izuna and Katsumi standing by the front door.

"M-Madara, I got Katsumi!"

"Thank you Izuna." Madara took off his shoes and headed towards Izuna and Izumi's adjoined room. Out of the four siblings Madara had, Katsumi was by far the best at iryo-ninjutsu. It probably didn't help that Izuna and Izumi were still four. Arata pulled out a futon from the closet, letting Madara put Izumi down onto a futon.

"Big brother, what happened to Izumi-chan?" He heard Katsumi ask.

"Izuna tackled her to the ground and she hit her head pretty bad against a large rock. She's bleeding slightly from the wound." He could see Izuna hiding behind Arata, watching Katsumi heal their sister's head wound.

"Is she going to be okay Katsumi-niisan?" Arata asked.

"I'm pretty sure she'll be fine." All the brothers could see the green chakra surrounding Katsumi's hand under Izumi's head. There was silence as they all waited for him to finish his healing, until they heard the front door slide open.

"Crap, I forgot about father!" They all heard Madara say. "I'll go distract him so Katsumi, for the love of Kami please hurry!" He said. He left the room in a hurry and they could hear their father asking questions. Arata grabbed Izuna's arm and dragged him into his own room.

"Come on…" Katsumi said. Sweat started dripping from his forehead from the fear of their father finding out. When he finished, he could sense his father walking down the hallway to the room he was currently occupying.

"Where's Izumi?" He heard his father asking Madara.

"She's uh… not feeling very well." Realizing that there was nowhere for him to go, Katsumi stood up, brushed the sweat from his face, and acted like he was taking Izumi's temperature. It was sheer luck that their father, Tajima, opened the door at that exact moment.

"Well, why didn't you get Kenji?"

"It was because Katsumi was already in the house and we figured to let him see to Izumi." Katsumi moved away as Tajima walked over to his daughter and felt her head, checking for a fever.

"She seems fine." He looked at his second-born son.

"She probably was outside with Izuna for too long." Katsumi said.

"…Alright then." Tajima stood up, brushed his hands on his pants, and walked out of the room without saying a word. Madara let out a breath, not realizing that he had kept his breath in throughout the whole ordeal.

"She should wake up soon Big Brother."

"Thank Kami." Madara looked out of the door to see Arata's door slightly opened. "Arata, you can come out with Izuna now." The moment he said that, Izuna came flying out of the room, tears in his eyes.

"…Izuna?" Everybody's head flipped toward the sudden voice.

"Izumi! I'm so sorry!"

"Are you okay Izumi?"

"I-I'm fine. Who healed me?"

"I did Izumi-chan." Everybody was relieved that their little sister seemed fine, but Madara could tell something was different. She seemed… off.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked her.

"…Yeah, I'm fine." Arata and Katsumi left the room because their father had called for them.

"Izuna, why don't you go with Arata?" Madara asked. He saw Izuna's eyes widen and he ran off, excited. Arata was, after all, Izuna's favorite sibling (next to Izumi). "Izumi, if you feel any pain or anything in your head, tell me or the others okay?" Izumi looked up at him and Madara had to contain his shock from what he saw.

"Of course. I'm really tired, so can I sleep?" Madara nodded numbly and helped her get comfortable in her futon. He took one last look at his sister and slide her door closed. _'It doesn't make any sense, why do her eyes look so different? They look so…old, so much different from earlier.' _He shook his head and walked away, leaving his sister to sleep. Unbeknownst to him, she was awake and walking around her room.

"Where am I?" Izumi asked herself. She opened the closet and saw her clothes included with her twin brother. She was about to close the closet when a design on one of her shirts caught her eye. After removing the shirt from the pile, her eyes widened. "W-Why the hell is the Uchiha symbol on my shirt?" She ran to the only mirror in the room and she had to cover her mouth to prevent a scream. Looking back at her was black hair and pale skinned little girl. Izumi shook her head back and forth. _'Wait, think about it. Your older brother's name is Madara. Your twin brother's name is Izuna." _Izumi fell onto her futon. _'Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Izuna are my new brothers and their names happen match those characters from that anime my little brother loved so much.' _Izumi's eyes widened.

"You have _got_ to be shitting me. I'm reborn into Naruto out of all things? And not even in the main time, but _before_ Konoha's created?" She groaned. "Fuck."

* * *

**A/N: **_So how do you think? This'll be a TobiramaxOc story since he doesn't get enough love. If you haven't noticed, I have a thinG for white-haired anime characters. Kakashi *cough* Tobirama *cough* Kaneki (Tokyo Ghoul) *cough* _

_WELL THEN. I hope you enjoy this new story that I'm going to post!_

…_I realized that I just made myself more work now._

_I don't know how I feel about this anymore._

_JUST KIDDING._

_Don't forget to follow and leave a review!_

_SEE YA!~_


	2. Excitement

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS, I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."**

-Epicurus

* * *

**Excitement**

Later that hour, Izuna returned to his room to check on his sister. Sliding open the door, he saw Izumi staring at herself in the mirror.

"Are you okay Izumi?" He asked. She flipped her head toward Izuna and smiled.

"Yeah, I just wanted to make sure nothing was wrong with my head." She said. Izumi walked toward him and poked him. "I'm hungry; did Hitomi-obaasan make dinner already?"

"Yeah, I was going to see if you were awake and if you can eat." He told her.

"Of course I can eat! Let's go!" She grabbed her brother's hand and dragged him down the hallway to the dining room where her family was already at.

"Hello family of mine!" The black haired girl shouted out happily.

"Izumi, your brothers tell me that you weren't feeling good." Izumi's eyes widened and she turned around to face her father, who was standing behind her.

"H-Hello father. I wasn't feeling very good but after taking a rest I feel much better." She said in a respectful voice. Tajima nodded his head and walked passed his daughter to the table where his other children already sat at.

"Well, it seems that you'll be able to join us for dinner then." Izumi nodded her head and walked toward her twin and sat down.

'_Jeez, he's so cold. So different from dad…I mean other dad.' _Izumi thought sadly. She looked around the table and noticed how tense her brothers were. Hearing the door slide open, she looked up to see an old lady carrying their foods. After the plates were placed on the table and everybody said their thanks, they all started eating. As she ate her rice, she could see her father talking to Madara about something. They nodded and seem to agree with something.

"Izuna, I think we should start your training." She looked to her left to see her brother smiling at Tajima.

"Really father? That would be great!" Tajima nodded his head.

"If you don't mind me asking, what about me father?" His eyes widened at what Izumi asked.

"You want to train with your brothers?" She nodded her head, determined. "Hmm…" Izumi opened her mouth to say something, but Hitomi (the old lady from before) started talking.

"Please forgive me for intruding, but it is unbeknownst for a lady to become a shinobi. It's just not a job for ladies." Hitomi looked at the little girl. "Yet alone the clan head's only daughter." Izumi's face turned red. '_Who the hell does she think she is, telling me I can't become a shinobi?_'

"Thank you for your input Hitomi. However, this is a decision between all of us." Tajima said without looking at her. Recognizing that she was being dismissed, she bowed to the family and left the room.

"Father, I don't think Izumi should become a Kunoichi. I'm against it." Madara.

"Madara!" Izumi cried out. Tajima sighed and stood up, finished with his dinner.

"We'll see how well you can keep up with your brothers tomorrow Izumi. If you can, we'll being your training with Izuna."

"Yes! Thank you father!" She said with a smile. She stuck out her tongue at Madara and sat back down to finish her meal.

"Father, I don't think this is a good idea." Madara said to him.

"You don't know, your sister may be a great Kunoichi." Tajima nodded his head. "Your mother was a great Kunoichi, after all."

* * *

"I can train with you tomorrow Izuna, isn't this exciting?" Izumi said to her brother happily as they got ready for bed.

"Yeah, it's great." Izuna said. However, Izumi noticed how… disappointed he was. She cocked her head to the side while watching him. '_Maybe he's mad at himself from earlier._' Izumi was actually _glad_ he tackled her.

"Hey, are you okay? If it's about earlier, I'm over that." She said to him. Izuna looked up at her and Izumi saw… jealousy in his eyes, something that shocked her.

"I'm fine." Izuna looked away and pulled his covers over himself. "I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." Izumi was so confused; she didn't understand what was happening. She looked through her memories and saw her and her brother getting along great, nothing like right now. She narrowed her eyes at Izuna and continued brushing her hair. As she got changed, she could hear her oldest brother and father arguing about her training with them tomorrow.

'_You can do this, it's just ninjas. Nothing wrong with that, you've seen your brother watch those shows about it, it can't be that hard._' She thought to herself. Izumi blew out the candle and laid down in her futon, prepared to go to sleep. As she fell asleep, Izumi suddenly felt a burning in the back of her head and forgot about her past life, reverting back to the normal four year old girl she was.

As the pain subdued, Izumi opened her eyes to see another person standing in front of her. She was a very tall lady with blonde hair and blue eyes, something that she had never seen on a person before. After all, she was surrounded by people with black hair and brown eyes that were as dark as the color black. She herself had those colors as her hair and eyes.

"Who are you?" Izumi asked.

"_I'm you._" The lady said, kneeling down. Izumi stood there in the darkness, confused.

"That makes no sense, how are you me? I'm still four. You're obviously older than me."

"_I'm you from a world different from yours. In my world, yours is one from an anime show._"

"Anime show? What's that?" Izumi asked. The pretty lady smiled.

"_It's something kids watch. But that's not the point._ _I'm Connie._"

"Koni?_" _The lady laughed at Izumi and playfully ruffled her hair, causing the little girl to pout.

"_Close enough._" The lady, Connie, clapped her hands and stood up, the darkness surrounding them turning into a beautiful flower field with a cloudless blue sky. Connie watched the little girl look around and touch the flowers gently, probably because she's never seen a field full of tulips and daisies. "_Now, down to business._"

"Business?" Izumi asked, still touching the flowers that surrounded them.

"_I know how your brothers' story ends. All of them. I know what happens to everything in your life._" The black haired girl looked away from the flowers and stared at Connie in shock.

"Where have you been this whole time then?" Izumi asked.

"_I've been in your head for your whole life, and I planned on keeping it that way until I saw fit._"

"What happened?"

"_That nasty hit you took earlier… That awakened me, in a way._"

"Wait, so I know the future now?"

"_You would have so t__hat's where I come in. I'm sealing off my memories to you again until I think you're ready. You'll know the major stuff, but even then you'll only remember them when the time comes._"

"What?! I should know now!" Izumi whined. It wasn't fair; she deserved to know what happens to her family!

"_I'm sorry, but it's for your own safety. You live in a place where you're watched with careful eyes 24/7. Something like this is bad if landed in the wrong hands._"

"But…"

"_You'll understand in time Izumi. When you remember, you'll be thankful. After all, these memories won't control your life; you'll be able to live as normally as possible_." Connie kneeled down to match the little girl's height. "_You have the power to change _everything_._" The blonde looked around, noticing that the landscape was getting smaller and smaller, Izumi was waking up. "_It looks like my time here is over._" Connie placed her hand on top of Izumi's head. _"I'll always be in your mind, watching. I'll be the voice in your head protecting you. You won't remember this meeting and we probably won't see each other for a while, but I want you to know that you're the little sister I've always wanted. Maybe even the daughter I could never have."_

"Wait, you're leaving?" Looking down at the little girl, Connie smiled and kissed her forehead.

"_Goodbye Izumi. Until next time._" And with that, Izumi woke up with a smile on her face, feeling the love of another for some unknown reason.

* * *

"Are you two ready?" The twins nodded their heads to Madara. "Alright, let's go." He started walking towards the designated training field in the compound, Izuna and Izumi following him.

"Isn't this just exciting?" Izumi asked her brother. Out of the two, Izumi was the loud one as Izuna was the quiet one. Madara shook his head, astounded at how different twins could be. Madara would never admit it, but they were his favorite siblings that held a special place in his heart, even though mother died from giving birth to them. "What are we doing today Madara?"

"We'll be doing some stretches and stances." He said, not looking behind him. "And if you guys are good enough, you might start learning the Katon jutsu." He turned his head to the twins. "But that's _only _if you listen to everything father or I says." Madara said to them. However, they all knew that this was fully directed toward Izumi instead of Izuna. His little sister shrugged her shoulders and they all continued walking.

As they reached the fields, the twins could see their other brothers already training with father in a private area. To the right of them, older shinobi's were sparring and going through jutsu's while on the left, younger, unexperienced children were going through stances. Seeing their siblings walking through the field, Katsumi and Arata waved at them.

"Well, now that you're here, we'll do some stretches" Tajima said. After showing the two youngest children the stretches, he stood up and let Madara take over for a few minutes.

Tajima knew he should be with the Elders, talking about the next battle plans against the Senju. He knew that he should've just gotten Hikaru to train his children. But as Tajima watched his children, he realized how little time he spent with his children. Aika, his late wife, would be so disappointed in him.

"Father, we're finished with the stretches, what should we do now?" Shaking his head to get rid of his thoughts, Tajima looked at his five children, lingering on Izumi.

"Katsumi, Arata, you two can continue what you were doing yesterday." The two boys nodded their heads at him and walked a few feet away and started sparring. He turned his head towards the twins. "You two will be learning the stances that are usually taught to kids older than you. It might be hard, but you two will probably be able to do it." Tajima nodded at Madara, indicating that it was Madara's turn to demonstrate how.

Tajima was there only to watch over them after all. He rarely taught any of his children, only Madara and even then that was a rare occasion. As he watched the twins, he noticed how in synch they were together. He scoffed at what Hitomi said yesterday, about how Izumi shouldn't become a shinobi. Sure, there weren't many kunoichi in the Uchiha clan, but the ones that finished the training and survive tend to be harder to kill compared to the men, something that many enemy-nin's seem to not believe. But it was true for the Uchiha clan at least. Their clan makes sure that their kunoichi train along with the men. It wasn't easy; the training system was meant for men in the end, not women. But watching Izumi right now going through the basic stances, he could tell that she would make it. She was the child of Aika and him after all.

* * *

"I'm so sore! Katsumi-niisan, do something!" Izumi said into the older boy's ear as he carried her back. Katsumi turned his head toward Arata, who was carrying a sleeping Izuna.

"I can't do anything Izumi-chan. You're going to have to deal with your soreness for the next few days."

"We all had to go through it anyways Izu-chan." Arata added. Despite being a 50 pound six year old, he was fairing quite well with the 40 pound sleeping child on his back.

"But stillll." Izumi whined. She placed her hands on top of Katsumi's head.

"Be careful Izumi-chan, I'm not Madara; I can't hold you like he can." Katsumi warned. It was true; the seven year old boy wasn't as strong and graceful as his older brother.

"I know so don't worry. I was just thinking, isn't it almost Madara's birthday?"

"Huh, it is, isn't it?" Arata asked. He adjusted the four year old on his back to a more comfortable position, which resulted in Izuna waking up.

"Are we home yet?" He asked with a yawn.

"We're almost there Izuna-kun." Katsumi said.

"What should we do? I highly doubt father will be there for the whole day." Arata said to Katsumi. Izumi suddenly smiled and looked down at Katsumi.

"Why don't we cook him something? Maybe like his favorite food!"

"Inarizushi?"

"Yeah!" She turned toward Izuna. "What do you think?"

"That sounds great." He said half-heartedly, still yawning from his nap.

"Then it's settled!" She shouted out happily. She started to jump up and down, causing Katsumi to worry.

"Izumi, I've told you to be careful-"

_*Thump*_

"Oww!"

"See, this is exactly why!" Katsumi scolded while Arata laughed.

"My butt hurts now." Izumi stood up while rubbing her butt. Katsumi towered over her, his arms crossed.

"This is why I told to be careful. Don't expect me to carry you back now."

"But-"

"Nope!"

* * *

_One Month Later_

* * *

"Madaraaaa!"

"Big Brother, wake up." Groaning, the boy opened his eyes to see all his siblings towering over his futon.

"W-What?"

"Happy ninth birthday Madara!" The twins said, both of them sitting on top of him.

"We talked to father and he said that we're given the whole day off from training." Arata said as he stood by the doorway. Madara's eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He said to tell you sorry for not being able to celebrate it with you." Madara waved off the apology. After all, his father was never there for any of their birthdays. Gently pushing the twins off, he stood up.

"Well, what are we doing today?" Izuna started jumping up and down, showing a rare case of excitement.

"We all made you inarizushi, your favorite!" Madara cocked an eyebrow.

"All of you?" Katsumi starting scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Heh, we all ended up making you one."

"Mine's going to be the tastiest!" Izumi declared with her hands on her hips.

"Nuh uh, mine is." Izuna countered.

"I'm sure all of your inarizushi's are tasty." From the corner of his eye, Madara could see his younger brothers pale at his words. '_Well, this is obviously going to be interesting._' He thought to himself.

* * *

Madara stared at the inarizushi's that all differed in shape and size, especially the last two that sat on the plate.

"I made this one!" Izumi pointed to the inarizushi at the end.

"And this one I made!" Izuna said, pointing the one next to hers. His was small but round while Izumi's was large and lumpy.

"W-Well, let's see how they taste." He took a bite of the normal looking ones and nodded at the two brothers who made them. "They're good, thanks." Theirs tasted like a normal inarizushi.

"Now eat mine!"

"No, eat mine!" The twins said, arguing with each other. Katsumi laughed and placed a hand each head. "Let Big Brother choose." Deciding to eat the smaller of the two, he took a bite out of it and immediately paled. Madara didn't understand how someone could make inarizushi bitter, yet Izuna managed to do exactly that. Swallowing the food, he nodded his head.

"This was good Izuna, thanks." He lied, trying not to hurt Izuna's feelings. It was worth it though when Madara saw the smile that lit up on the younger boy's face. Now that Madara had tried Izuna's inarizushi, he was a little scared to eat Izumi's. But being the nice older brother that he was, he picked it up and took a bite. His eyes widened and he quickly swallowed it without chewing.

"T-Thanks Izumi, this one was good too." He said with a weak smile. Madara was pretty sure that Katsumi and Arata noticed how…_different_ his reaction was when he ate their inarizushi and the twin's, but he didn't care. It just was _not_ possible to make something like inarizushi _that_ salty. He poked the twins on the forehead and smiled.

"Thanks, this is, by far, the best birthday I've had so far."

* * *

**A/N: **_So, how was it? I actually enjoyed writing this chapter; it was a lot of fun! I never realized how much I would like writing in third person, and I love it!_

_You know what else I never realized?_

_I never thought that I would get 12 followers and 6 reviews on the first chapter! Wow, you people are desperate for some Tobirama love, aren't you? (Just kidding! And besides, I feel you!) I can't promise when the next chapter will come out, but I know for certain that it won't be long. _

_This story isn't going to jump right into love, if that's what you guys were hoping for! Sorry!_

_So until next time, read a book or pet a dog!_

_P.S. I'm leaving the ages of the characters if it was confusing anybody :)_

**Madara: **9

Birthday: December 24

**Katsumi: **7

Birthday: December 31

**Arata: **6

Birthday: March 5

**Izuna: **4

Birthday: February 10

**Izumi: **4

Birthday: February 10

**Tajima: **27

Birthday: July 27


	3. First Death

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things."**

-Winston Churchill

* * *

**First Death**

After he finished eating the inarizushi, Madara and his siblings decided to play their version of Ninja until it was time for dinner. Of course, the two four year olds were already half asleep by the time they were sitting at the table. It was, after all, a full day of running and excitement. All the twins could do was to move their food around their plates during dinner. Izumi attempted to eat a part of a fish, but half way through raising it to her mouth the fish fell from her chopsticks, making everybody sitting at the table laugh. The brother's hurryingly finished their meal so they could put Izuna and Izumi to sleep. After Arata and Katsumi fell asleep next to the twins, Izumi and Izuna were still awake, waiting for Madara to tuck them in.

"I'm sorry we didn't get anything for your birthday." Izumi said to her older brother.

"It's alright, today itself was the best birthday present I've had." Madara said with a smile. After kissing his little sister on her forehead, he turned to Izuna. He pulled up the blankets around him and kissed him on his forehead. Standing up, he looked at his siblings that were already asleep. "Goodnight guys, I love you." Sliding the door closed, he swore he heard a whisper from Izumi.

"I love you too Madara." Little did Madara know this was the last day they would be all together as a family.

Waking up, Izumi felt like it wasn't a going to be a good day, unlike yesterday. She looked to her left to see Izuna already gone, something that confused her. Her brother didn't say anything about leaving early in the morning. She could sense her older brothers all in their own rooms, so that ruled out that he was out training with someone. Izumi placed her hand into his futon and it was still warm, meaning he left only a few minutes ago. Standing up, she shivered at the cold air that hit her exposed legs and walked over to her closet to see Izuna's winter jacket gone.

"What is he doing going outside?" Izumi said to herself. Looking through the window, she could see the faint imprint of her brother's shoes on the ground. Quickly changing her clothes, she quietly snuck out of the house to follow her brother.

As she followed Izuna's footsteps, she failed to notice how much deeper and deeper she was walking into the forest. She was getting scared though, that was for sure.

"I-Izuna?" She said, hugging herself. Looking around, she realized that she didn't know where she was. Izumi looked down at her feet and still saw Izuna's footsteps in the snow. She was determined to find out where her brother went, even though Izumi already knew one thing. She was lost, and Izumi was pretty sure her brother Izuna was too.

As she continued going deeper and deeper into the forest, still following Izuna's footsteps, Izumi started shivering from the cold.

"Izuna? Where are you?" She called out every few minutes. Looking up at the sky, she realized how long she's been outside. Her brothers were probably worried about them.

With every snap of a twig, Izumi could feel herself getting even more and more scared.

After walking for a few minutes, Izumi noticed a slumped body in the snow and automatically knew who it was. "Izuna? Izuna?!" She ran forward but tripped on a root that stuck out of the ground and landed on her ankle. Spitting snow out of her mouth, Izumi stood up and tried to take a step with her right foot, but she felt pain go through her whole leg, causing her to cry out. She was only a few feet away from her brother, she couldn't give up now! Taking a deep breath, she continued limping forward until she finally reached Izuna. She kneeled down and checked her brother's pulse.

"Izuna, wake up! Please!" Izumi cried out, shaking him. She could feel tears forming in her eyes, she was so scared. What would she do if he died? She would be lost without him! Izumi heard a twig snap behind her, causing her to turn her head around. She pulled out a kunai that she kept in her jacket for emergencies like this. "W-Who's there?" A man Izumi didn't know stepped out of the darkness that surrounded the trees around her while chuckling.

"Well well, isn't this just my day? You two are the famous twins, the twins of Tajima and Aiko, aren't you?" Izumi saw the man smile at her. "This day is just going _great_ for me." He took a step forward and Izumi saw the gleam of a sword in his hands.

"D-Don't come near us!" She said bravely, putting the kunai in front of her. Izumi planned on protecting her brother, even if it costs her life. The stranger raised his arms above him and she saw the sword come down. This is it, she was going to die.

Izumi screamed as loud as she could for her brothers, wishing they were here to protect Izuna and her.

Then, there was nothing.

* * *

_Madara_

* * *

Madara stood, talking with his father when a lone shinobi came bursting through the gates, clothes soaked with blood. He looked around until he saw Tajima and ran towards him. Startling Madara, he hid behind his father.

"What is it Yahito?" Tajima asked.

"The Senju-" The man coughed into his hands and when he removed them, blood fell from his mouth and hand.

"Somebody get an Iryo-nin!" Tajima yelled out to the people that surrounded them. "What are you doing standing there? Now!" Madara looked around and saw someone running towards Kenji, the clan's head iryo-nin's, house. Tajima placed his hands on Yahito's shoulders to support the man. "What about the Senju?"

"T-They were attacked…by the Kazeha clan." Tajima's eyes widened.

"Why are they in the Land of Fire? That doesn't make any sense; they're from the Land of Wind." Yahito shook his head.

"I don't know…all I know…was that one of the clan head's kids…was hurt in combat."

"I got Kenji!" Someone said. Tajima looked up to see the man running through the crowd that surrounded them. Moving out of the way, Tajima continued asking questions.

"Is that it?" The injured man shook his head.

"No… the white haired…kid was k-kidnapped… Another of…Butsuma's children." Yahito still continued coughing up blood, despite Kenji healing him.

"What does this have to do with the Uchiha?"

"I overheard the Kazeha… clan head talking about… kidnapping one of…your children. They're…going to attack us Tajima-san!" And with that, Yahito fainted in Kenji's arms. Tajima stood up and looked at the people surrounding them. He saw Katsumi and Arata standing at the edge of the crowd, but he couldn't see his twins anywhere.

"_Hitomi, where are Izuna and Izumi?"_

"_I think they're already outside Tajima-san. There's nothing to worry about though, they know not to leave the compound."_

Tajima's eyes widened when he remembered his conversation with the older lady earlier. There was no way…

"Madara, go find the twins, I need to go to the elders." He saw his son nod his head and turn run through the crowd. Turning back around, Tajima ran to the house that housed the Elders he despised so much.

Madara was confused, why did his father looked so worried? No clan was stupid enough to attack the Uchiha, let alone the clan head's children. But he obeyed his father and ran towards the house in search of Izuna and Izumi.

"Big Brother, let me come along with you." Madara nodded at Katsumi's request and continued their path to the house.

* * *

As they stepped out of their house and into the backyard, the brothers noticed two different sets of footsteps leading into the forest.

"Big Brother, you don't happen to think…" Madara turned his head toward Katsumi.

"We'll follow the path; they're obviously not in the house." They started following the footsteps that were so similar in size; it was obviously Izuna's and Izumi's.

"What do you think happened to them?" Katsumi asked Madara.

"I don't know, they probably strayed too far from the house and got lost. That's the only thing I can think of." Madara said to his younger brother.

"I hope they're okay…"

"I do too-" They heard a scream that came from deep in the forest that sounded suspiciously like their little sister. "Fuck!" He pushed chakra into his legs and started running faster, praying that he would reach the twins in time.

As they reached the clearing, the two brothers could see Izumi and Izuna slumped over each other on the ground, unharmed.

"Thank god, I was worried there for a second." Katsumi said to the older boy. Madara wasn't convinced though, why would his sister scream out for no reason? But for now, it didn't matter; all that mattered was that they were safe.

"Let's just pick them up and go." Madara walked towards the twins and picked Izuna up. "You can carry Izumi right?" Katsumi nodded his head. He kneeled in front of Izumi and touched her face.

"Katsumi-niisan?" He heard Izumi say. He looked up and saw Madara waiting for him a few feet away. Katsumi waved his hand to his older brother, meaning he would catch up.

"What's wrong Izumi-chan?" The little girl frowned, looking at her hands.

"How… How did I get here?"

"You don't remember?" The little girl shook her head. "I don't know then. But let's go home now, okay?" Izumi nodded her head at her brother and stood up, only to wince from the injury on her ankle. Katsumi turned around and bent his knees to make it easier for the girl to place herself on his back.

"Wait…" Katsumi turned around at what Izumi said.

"What?" Izumi's eyes widened.

"T-There was someone here! He was about to kill-" The little girl suddenly froze, too shocked to cry out. Standing behind her brother was the man from earlier. Izumi looked at her brother and saw a sword sticking out of his chest, his blood splattered all over her clothes. Katsumi looked at her, his eyes red with the clan's famous kekkei genkai.

"R-Run." He whispered. Katsumi feared for her life, his was obviously about to end.

"K-Katsumi-niisan!" She cried out. Taking one last look at her brother, she ran in the other direction, the pain in her ankle forgotten. The stranger slid his sword out of Katsumi's chest.

"I don't think so little girl, you're coming with me." The man quickly caught up to Izumi and slammed his hand to her neck, immediately knocking her out. "You and that white haired brat will do quite nicely."

* * *

**A/N:**_ Hey guys, I don't know if this was such a good chapter but eh, this is the best I could do! I know I just updated yesterday but this was already halfway done by the time I published chapter 2. This is a small chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways!_

_I know I should be working on In Time, but I just COULD NOT GET THIS OUT OF MY HEAD! But seeing the amount of people that followed and reviewed made me finish this today too! xD_

_So until next time!~ _


	4. The Meeting

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."**

-Aristotle

* * *

**The Meeting**

When Izumi opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was how dark and cold it was. Oh, and that she wasn't alone. As she pulled herself into a sitting position, she heard the rattle of chains that indicated that she was chained to the wall she laid against. Izumi looked to her right, only to be shocked at seeing a head full of white hair. Izumi's first thought was that she was next to an old person. After all, what normal person has white hair at a young age? She stood up and walked near the body (since the chains were long) when she heard a groan, scaring her.

"W-Where am I?" The person asked. That was when Izumi saw their face. The moment she looked at his eyes, a flashback of an older man with the same colored hair and eyes flashed through her mind.

'_That's Senju Tobirama._' Her eyes widened at the sudden voice that went through her head. How did she know that name? How did she know this person when she's never met him before?

"I-I don't know." She said. "Who are you?" The boy narrowed his red eyes, almost like he couldn't see.

"I'm Tobirama." He didn't bother giving the girl his last name, in fear of her recognizing it. Tobirama was secretly terrified; he couldn't see very well, only blurs. That meant he wouldn't be able to protect himself. And Itama… his little brother was injured badly trying to protect him.

"Well, I'm-"

'_Don't say your last name, just tell him your first.'_ Izumi's eyes widened again at the voice in her head and decided to follow what it was saying, for now.

"I'm Izumi." She said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Tobirama pulled against the chains on his wrists and ankles.

"They won't give out, I've already tried." Izumi said to him. He narrowed his eyes to get a better look at her. Black hair… pale skin… His eyes widened. There's no possible way that this girl could be…? "You _could_ break it with chakra, but my brothers haven't taught me anything about chakra control yet, so I don't know." She continued, but as soon as she finished her sentence, the memories of Katsumi's death flashed through her eyes. She fell backwards, eyes widened. Izumi had finally remembered.

"Hey, you okay?" Tobirama asked her, but she wasn't listening. She couldn't believe it, Katsumi was dead and it was all her fault. If only she had remembered what had happened before that man knocked her out sooner. She hoped that Madara managed to leave the forest with Izuna, if he didn't… No, she had to believe that her brother's survived.

As she laid there in the cold cell, Katsumi's death flashed over and over through her eyes. She closed her eyes to get rid of the image, but it wouldn't leave. She didn't want to see her brother dying over and over again.

"_**R-Run."**_

Someone was shaking her so when Izumi opened her eyes to see, she saw the red one's of Tobirama. But something was different… Everything was so much clearer. She could see the red pigments in Tobirama's eyes, the individual cracks in the walls that she couldn't see before. She could see a small spider crawling up the wall, whereas it was too dark earlier to see anything. She looked back at Tobirama only to see him staring at her face. Tobirama couldn't see well but when he narrowed his eyes, he saw… the Sharingan. He quickly removed his hands from the girl and moved away, as if in shock.

"T-Tobirama?" Izumi asked while sitting up. She crawled forward, fully intended to talk to him, but when he looked at her she saw so much anger… so much disgust. And it was all towards her. "What-"

"Don't talk to me _Uchiha._" He said to her. She fell back on her butt, confused. What caused the sudden change? Was it because she was an Uchiha? Izumi looked back up, but she felt her eyes start to pound. She pressed the palms of her hands against them, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling, but it didn't leave. Even if she was able to see in the dark, she wanted whatever happening to her eyes to stop!

"M-My eyes, they hurt!" She shouted out. She could feel tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "What do I do? Why won't they stop?" Izumi asked, over and over again. But Tobirama never responded to her, he actually continued to ignore her. Why would he talk to an Uchiha? He hated them, they killed his mother. He had no reason to help this girl.

"Well, what do we have here? Are you two bonding?" Tobirama quickly moved his head towards the bars in the room. He didn't sense the man coming; there must be something in the walls preventing him from sensing. The man talking to them was too blurry for Tobirama to make out, but he knew who it was just by their chakra, it was the man that kidnapped him and took him. Tobirama managed to stay calm, but Izumi was a different story. She quickly removed her hands from her eyes and stared, wide-eyed, at the man standing outside the cell.

"Y-You! My brother... You!"

"Oh? Did the little princess get her Sharingan?" The man teased. Tobirama noticed that Izumi suddenly froze at the word.

"S-Sharingan?" She asked, quietly. There was no way she had activated her Sharingan, it just wasn't done! Sure, many of her clan's shinobi had activated it, but that was when they were at least three times her age, and that was early! And they were men, women never activated their Sharingan! Not even her mother who was known as the strongest kunoichi the Uchiha's ever had.

"Huh, you didn't even realize that." The man shrugged. "Oh well princess."

"J-Just let us go, I swear I won't tell anyone." He scoffed.

"As if. You're going to tell us what we want to know. Then maybe… we'll consider that." Hope flashed on her face. Tobirama felt pity for the girl; she didn't understand that she was getting toyed with. They were never going to leave this place unless either of their clans found them. He didn't know about the Uchiha, but his clan _had_ to be looking for him, he was Butsuma's child after all.

"Get up you white-haired brat." Tobirama stayed where he was, refusing to move. "I said get up!" The man said, hitting the bars. Izumi jumped from the sudden noise, fear flowing throughout her body. What was he going to do to Tobirama? He may not like her, but she couldn't just watch him get hurt. The stranger pulled open the door, but before Tobirama could do anything, he made a hand sign and the chains pulled them both against the wall. "Just in case. We've heard stories about you, Senju Tobirama. You may be a seven year old brat, but you've got the talent for a strong Shinobi, even at your age." The man slapped his hand against his forehead. "Fūin!" Tobirama groaned and fell, his weight pulling against the chains.

"W-What did you do to me?"

"This prevents you from using your chakra."

"What happens if I use it?" The man smiled, causing Izumi to shiver.

"That's for you to find out." He made another hand seal and the chains surrounding the two disappeared. He grabbed Tobirama by the arm and dragged him out the cell, leaving Izumi alone. It was quiet now that Tobirama was gone; Izumi had no one to talk to. That was when she realized that her Sharingan was still on, causing her to have a massive headache.

'_Stop the chakra flow to your eyes. That will stop your Sharingan._' Izumi frowned from hearing that voice again, but decided to listen to it because that was the only thing she could do right now. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her chakra flow and stopped the one going to her eyes. As she opened them again, she felt relief as she was once again surrounded by darkness.

* * *

She was startled awake from the cell door opening, revealing a different man from earlier holding a bloodied Tobirama. He threw the boy into the room and closed the door.

"Senju's, those stubborn little asses." The man muttered as he walked away. As soon as Izumi heard the door close from across the hall, she quickly crawled forward to Tobirama who was currently moaning into the ground.

"T-Tobirama!" She cried out. There was no response from him; it was almost as if he didn't hear her. She pulled him into the corner of the cell, the only place with a bed. But you could barely call it a bed; it was only a thin blanket on the floor. As she placed him on the bed, she decided to use it as a blanket instead. She moved him to where his body was facing the ceiling instead of the wall. That was when Izumi saw his face. She felt tears form in her eyes from seeing the wounds. Tobirama's face was so swollen; you could barely tell it was the boy. Both of his eyes were swollen shut, his mouth covered in blood.

'_Rip a part of your shirt and soak it into the bucket of water in the front of the cell._' Not questioning the voice, she did exactly what it said to do. But she was only a four year old girl; she didn't really have the strength to rip a shirt. She tried so many times, but she just couldn't do it. That was when she decided to take off her shirt; she had another on underneath it anyways. Dipping it in the bucket, she quickly ran back to Tobirama and started wiping his face, trying not to hurt the boy.

"Tobirama? C-Can you hear me?" Izumi asked him. The boy whimpered and passed out, but not before whispering a barely audible yes. Relief flowed throughout her body.

"Thank Kami." She whispered to him.

* * *

_A Week Later_

* * *

The day they came to interrogate Izumi was the day Tobirama started warming up to the girl. He was healing from his wounds, which weren't as bad as Izumi thought they were when she first saw them. Tobirama was grateful for her; if it weren't for her he probably wouldn't be as healed as he was now. She was the one who helped him eat and drink water. He didn't know where she had learned all of these things, but it didn't matter. She may have saved his life; he could've gotten an infection from his cuts which would have killed him if not treated. It also didn't help that he was able to see again; whatever jutsu that man had placed on him wore off.

The two had just finished there breakfast when the same man from last week showed up.

"You, Uchiha, get over here." Izumi's eyes widened from fear. Images of her brother's death and Tobirama's wound flashed through her mind. "Come on!" Taking one last look at Tobirama, she stood up and walked forward, flinching when the man roughly grabbed her arm. What were they going to do to her? Tobirama shakily stood up and walked towards the bars and watched the man take the little girl away. Izumi looked back at him and he felt sick to his stomach. She looked at him with so much fear and he felt helpless, just like when Itama got hurt because of him.

"Please don't hurt her, I beg you!" Tobirama shouted out to the man, shocking himself. But he knew that deep down, they didn't care about her. That's why he felt dread when he saw the man's eyes.

They were going to hurt her and that man was going to enjoy it.

* * *

Tobirama felt like hitting his head against the wall over and over again. It was to the point where he wanted to stab himself, just so he could distract himself from the screaming coming from the other room. He didn't realize how much he actually cared for the little girl until now. That's why her screams… they were just excruciating. He was able to keep his own screams inside during his interrogation; he was a shinobi after all. But Izumi… she was barely five. She barely knew anything about being a shinobi. That's why when she came back to the cell not even an hour later, Tobirama was grateful for Kami, she wasn't gone as long as he was. The man from earlier threw her into the cell and left, not bothering to check on them. Unlike Tobirama, Izumi only had fresh bruises surrounding her eyes and neck, she wasn't punched or cut. As Tobirama neared Izumi, she shot up from her spot on the floor and ran to the other corner of the cell and curled up into a ball. She was sobbing into her knees, not caring about the pain she felt in her neck or the other person in the room.

Why did they do this to her? They threatened to take out her eyes, something that had terrified Izumi. She was taught from a little age that the pride of the Uchiha was their eyes, no matter what. Izumi was only _four_, what did they expect her to know? Asking all those questions about clan location and members, she could barely remember the names of the Elders! Of course she wouldn't know those things they asked!

"M-Madara, Katsumi, Arata." She cried over and over again. "…Izuna!" She wanted her brothers; she wanted to be in their arms and feel safe. She wanted Katsumi alive again. She wanted to play ninja with her twin. She wanted to be carried by Madara and Arata. She wanted to see her father smile at her, no matter how cold he was. She just wanted to go home.

As Tobirama watched Izumi cry, he felt his cold heart crack a little. Right now, she wasn't an Uchiha; she was a little girl who was in pain. He felt a surge of anger flow throughout his body, hardening his resolve.

They had to escape from this place, no matter what.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Well, here's chapter 4! I'm not so proud of it; this was pretty hard to write…_ _That's why it's a pretty short chapter, sorry! I wasn't sure if I got Tobirama's character correct, after all, he's still a young boy at this time. I'm sorry if you guys are annoyed at Izumi's character, but it's actually quite logical. She's a four (almost five) year old girl being exposed to pain, she barely knows anything about being a Shinobi. But don't worry; I plan on fixing these things very soon :)_

_I'll be updating In Time next, so you may or may not see this chapter until the end of the week or the beginning of next week, it depends on how busy I am now that school's started. (Maybe earlier if I finish the chapter.)_

_Thank you to all those people that followed/favorited/reviewed this story! I never thought that with only four chapters I would have 26 followers! _

_Other than that, to those who haven't yet done those things above, please do so! It makes this girl (me) so happy whenever I get those notifications on my email/phone!_

_Until next time~_


	5. Escape

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO AND ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

**"When today fails to offer the justification for hope, tomorrow becomes the only frail worth pursuing."**

_Death of Salesman_ written by Arthur Miller

* * *

**Escape**

It had been months since Tobirama and Izumi were kidnapped, and in between these months the two had become somewhat friends. Tobirama couldn't help but like the girl, she was so innocent. He felt responsible for her, even though she came from the clan he hated. It probably didn't help that Izumi reminded him so much of his little brother Itama. She reminded him so much that it hurt. That's why he always hated the days that she would get taken and interrogated.

"Come on brat, let's go." The man beckoned for her. Izumi stood up and looked at Tobirama. He still saw fear and sadness in her eyes, but also a type of darkness that a five year old girl shouldn't have. Tobirama prepared himself, he may have told Izumi to go to her happy place whenever this happened but the screams still happened. A few minutes after she was taken, the screaming started, beginning hell for Tobirama.

"Happy thoughts Tobirama, happy thoughts." He said, whispering to himself as he clutched his head. 'Everything will be over in an hour.'

But something was off today, her screams were… different. They contained too much pain. They never really hurt her, maybe besides the occasional bruise. He knew something was wrong when they came back with her in 30 minutes instead of the usual hour.

"Izumi, are you okay?" She looked at him and Tobirama was shocked, he saw cuts all over her face, especially near her eyes.

"…The man cut me with a kunai." Tobirama saw her hands shaking. "Then he healed me." She started crying out loud. "A-And he cut me again, making me say his name over and over again!"

Then she did something that shocked Tobirama. Izumi ran into him and put her arms around him in a hug. At first, Tobirama stood there frozen as the girl sobbed into his shirt, but he slowly put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. He didn't know what to do; people usually avoided him and he only let his brother's do anything like this with him. Tobirama looked down at the black-haired girl and decided that rubbing her back would be a good thing to do.

"We'll get out of here soon okay? You just need to be…" He thought of an acceptable word. "Strong, like a shinobi." Izumi looked up at him, her eyes already red from crying.

"Like my father and brothers?" Tobirama's voice softened, even though she was talking about the Uchiha.

"Yes. Just like them." That seemed to cheer her up, so Tobirama moved her arms away from his chest and sat her down behind him against the wall. "Now, let's heal those cuts." He mustered up all the chakra he could with the seal still activated and healed Izumi.

* * *

It was few weeks from that day when Tobirama came up with a plan to escape. He realized that the usual interrogators were different and these new ones were tense and nervous. He knew it wasn't because of him immediately because one of the guards kept looking at the door periodically, like he was worried that someone would barge in. They didn't know his habits, they basically underestimated him. He knew that his plan would work; now he just needed Izumi's help, even if it was something he didn't like.

"Izumi, I want to ask you something." The little girl looked up from her makeshift toy that Tobirama made for her.

"What?" Tobirama took a deep breath.

"Can you activate your Sharingan?" She froze at his question. She looked back down at the doll and started fidgeting with it.

"…I don't know." She said, quietly. In all honestly, Izumi didn't want to try. Those eyes were connected to the death of her brother.

"I need you to try for me." Tobirama said. "And we need it to run away." He whispered carefully. He didn't really know much about the Sharingan besides the things the Senju taught him like how they can see chakra through walls and objects, and how it differentiates each person's chakra.

Tobirama could see the conflict in Izumi's eyes when he asked her to do this. He wasn't sure how she got the Sharingan, but he knew it was connected with a boy named Katsumi. The only reason he knew this was because she would cry out for this boy in her sleep sometimes.

"I can t-try then." She closed her eyes and concentrated on her chakra.

As Izumi opened her eyes, Tobirama braced himself for the sight, he wasn't going to flinch. But in the end, he unconsciously flinched anyways when he saw the kekkei genkai in her eyes. He tried to hide his discomfort, but Izumi wasn't stupid, she could tell. "I-Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine." He said with a smile. But in all honesty, it wasn't fine. Those eyes were the same eyes that killed his mother, his friends, his clan members. But he put all those thoughts aside because this girl was still innocent, she hasn't killed anyone with those eyes.

"My e-eyes hurt, can I s-stop the Sharingan?" Izumi asked him, disturbing his thoughts. Tobirama realized that in the past few months she had developed a stutter.

"Huh? Oh, of course you can. You don't need to ask." She closed her eyes and reopened them, revealing the dark brown, almost black eyes that Tobirama was used too. He thanked the girl and leaned up against the wall, smiling.

This could work. His plan might just work.

* * *

There was something off today and not knowing what was frustrating Tobirama. Waking up this morning, he didn't see the usual breakfast of rice and water. Well, he didn't really know if it was morning or night outside, but the food came whenever they both woke up. Touching the walls, he could tell that whatever jutsu they used to block his chakra from sensing anything wasn't working either. Actually, if he thought about it he could feel his chakra, meaning his seal was broken. That would mean that the man who did the fuuin was dead…

"Something's not right Izumi." Tobirama whispered, not sure if anybody was listening.

"If I think about it, our food isn't here." She said. It seemed like his plan was going into action a littler earlier than planned.

"Remember the thing we talked about a few days ago?" She nodded. "Well, I'm going to need you to do that again for me. This time, do you think you could turn it on and off at different times?"

"I c-could try." Ruffling the girl's long hair, Tobirama smiled and looked through the bars to make sure they were the only ones. Finally being able to use his chakra felt… amazing. He spread his chakra throughout the place and found that they were underground, alone, while all the enemy-nin's were upstairs. Their chakra was off though; it kept fidgeting, almost like they were nervous. "I d-did it Tobirama."

"Great." Just to make sure, he asked Izumi if she could see chakra through the walls and she said she could.

"It's all colorful, especially upstairs."

"We're going to have to avoid that area-" He stopped midsentence when he heard a large explosion from the room's upstairs.

"W-What was that?" Izumi said, slightly panicked. Her Sharingan deactivated, but Tobirama decided that they didn't need it for now. He pushed chakra into his nose and took a deep breath.

"I can smell smoke; we're going to need to leave now so we don't breathe it in." Looking through the bars, Tobirama noticed that it was already flowing through a door in a hallway. "That's the door we need to go through." He pointed at it. He took the blanket, (bed, whatever you want to call it) ripped it and soaked it with water. He handed one to Izumi and told her to use it when they opened the door. "Take a step back." She clutched the wet cloth in her hands and ran towards the back. Tobirama grabbed the bucket and downed half of the water in it.

As he gathered his chakra into his stomach, he went through the handseals tiger, ox, tiger, and rat.

"Suiton: Mizurappa!" Tobirama aimed the water to the bars, effectively breaking them. He checked his chakra level and noticed how much this jutsu had cost him and that worried him. Looking behind him, he saw Izumi staring at him with shock in her eyes.

"T-That was so cool!" He smiled at the girl and walked out of the cell.

"Careful, you might slip on the water." He said.

"O-Okay." Carefully walking through the cells, Izumi stared at the boy that she had been trapped with for the past few months. She never realized how strong he was until now… But then again, he was a shinobi, unlike her. Yet.

Tying the wet cloth against his mouth, he helped Izumi do the same.

"You ready?" She nodded her head. Standing up, he walked towards the door, Izumi following closely behind him. Tobirama opened the door and the moment he did, smoke came pouring into the hall, cutting off his sight. "You're eyes are going to hurt a little, but it's only because of the smoke, okay?" He said, voice muffled from the makeshift mask. Grabbing her hand, he walked up the stairs. Despite the masks, he was coughing from the amount of smoke in the building. 'Damn, what the hell happened here?' He asked himself.

Tobirama touched the ground and sensed that there were more shinobi's than before. 'They're getting invaded... This could go in my favor if I'm careful.' He walked through the halls, careful to avoid the fighting.

He wished that they could hide their chakra, but Izumi being four (five?), he knew that it was impossible to do. He could try, but he wanted to be as prepared as possible and concealing his chakra at the moment would take a lot of concentration and time, something he didn't have much of at the moment.

As they reached the door that would lead outside, he could feel Izumi slowing down from all the smoke that surrounded them. After making sure that there was no one right outside the door, he pushed it open, only to be brought to a bloody battlefield. All over the field, there were people fighting each other. One man's head was cut off while another was being burned to death. "Fuck." He grabbed Izumi and told her to close her eyes. After she did, he grabbed her and started carrying her. At first he groaned from her weight, even though she wasn't that heavy. Before he got kidnapped, he would've been able to carry her fine, but after his stay downstairs he lost a lot of weight and muscle.

Tobirama carefully ran away from the burning building and he realized was a compound surrounded by a forest. He ran into the forest that surrounded it, realizing it was their best chance at surviving. He could hear the screams of men dying as he ran by.

"W-What's happening Tobirama?" Izumi asked into his ear while she coughed.

"I'll tell you later so keep your eyes closed." He so desperately wanted her to use her Sharingan to help him move throughout the forest, but he knew that she would see the dead bodies. At first, he thought that she would be fine looking at them but he realized that the way they were killed were cruel, too cruel for her to see.

"Damn it, the brat's are running away!" He heard one of the shinobi say. He felt Izumi freeze at the voice.

"T-That was Hiro, the one t-that c-cut me!" Izumi said to him. Cursing, Tobirama started pushing more chakra into his legs, making him run faster. He could hear that man, Hiro, running after them, but he got cut off halfway through his chase by a wolf. Tobirama thought that that was weird, but would question it later. After running for a few minutes, he thought that they were safe. But just to make sure…

"Izumi, I need you to use your Sharingan now." Tobirama said as he came to a stop at a large tree. "Do you see anybody?"

"Y-You mean the colorful lines?"

"Yes." She narrowed her eyes and looked around.

"N-Not big ones. I only see little ones." She said looking at him, showing the size of the thing with her hands.

"Thank goodness. Those are just animals, nothing to worry about." Looking down at the girl, he noticed a bulge in the back of her shirt. "Izumi, what's that on your back?"

"Oh, t-this? It's the toy you made me." Izumi said to him with a smile. She took the doll out and handed it to him. Tobirama laughed despite of the situation they were in. He ran his fingers across the "doll". In all honestly, he just tied placed rocks into a shirt and tied it in certain placed to give it an appearance of one. He handed the doll back to her.

"Well, let's get going. Do you know where your compound is?" He asked her.

'It's east from here.' The voice said to Izumi in her head.

"Um… it's in the e-east from here."

"Are you sure?"

"Um… yeah." Tobirama narrowed his eyes at the fidgeting girl.

"I hope so."

* * *

**A/N:** _Well, here's chapter 5! I'm not sure if the escape scene was very good but... oh well! I'm super sick right now, so I can't promise when the next chapter of In Time or this story will be uploaded._

_And I thank every single one of the new followers and favorites for doing exactly that! Especially the reviewers! OMG I was so happy xD_

_Other than that, until next time~_

_Also, please forgive any mistakes xD_


	6. Family Reunion

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Lost time is never found again."**

Benjamin Franklin

* * *

**Family Reunion**

Tobirama had been running for a while with Izumi on his back when he almost tripped off a tree. He was reaching his limit, he needed to rest.

Tobirama panted. "I'm sorry Izumi… I need to take a break…" He said, landing on the forest floor.

"I-It's okay." She said while sliding off his back. Looking around, she could see animals running throughout the tree they were resting against. A squirrel ran right in front of her, causing her to giggle.

"We're going to take a five minute break, okay?" Tobirama asked. She nodded her head and sat down. Izumi looked down at herself and noticed how much she had changed during these past few months. Despite being four (or five, she didn't know if her birthday passed or not) she could tell that she had lost a considerable amount of weight. She brought her knees up to her chest and placed her head on top of it, thinking about her family. She wondered how Izuna was doing without her, she was miserable without him. Izumi could feel tears form at the corner of her eyes. She missed her brothers so much; she just hoped that she could see them soon. But she wouldn't see all of them, not again, Katsumi was gone forever…

"Izumi, are you okay?" She looked to her left to see Tobirama looking at her.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just s-scared that I won't see my f-family again." He stood up and placed his hand on top of her head.

"You'll see them soon." Izumi smiled. "Now let's go."

After a week of traveling while eating plants and animals that Tobirama recognized edible, Izumi finally started noticing the trees surrounding them. She remembered that cherry blossom tree over there, she had gotten stuck on it and cried for someone to take her down until her father had come and gotten her.

"Tobirama, we're g-getting near! I remember t-this place; I played ninja with my b-brothers here!" She pointed at one tree. She traced a hole in the tree with her hands. "A-Arata threw a kunai here to p-prove that he could throw better than m-me and Izuna." Her eyebrows scrunched up. "He won." Tobirama ruffled her hair.

"Seems like you have a big family." Izumi's face suddenly saddened.

"Y-Yeah… I guess I still d-do." Smiling at her, he placed his hand on the ground and concentrated. He could feel a large group of people about 100 feet away. He knew that they were the Uchiha just because Haruka was getting more excited and excited by knowing where she was. He would have to part ways with her here or he would get captured again, but by the Uchiha.

"Izumi…" The little girl looked at him, her face showing excitement from that knowing she would see her family soon.

"W-What?" She asked.

"Do you know where you are now?"

"Yup!" Tobirama felt sad knowing that he wouldn't be able to see her again.

"I… I have to go now. You'll have to go on alone." Izumi's face suddenly fell.

"…W-What? But w-why?" He smiled, trying to cheer her up.

"I won't be welcomed in your home." He was a Senju, after all.

"O-Of course you w-will! I'll tell t-them you saved m-me!" She said, stubbornly. She didn't want Tobirama to leave; she wanted her brothers to know who saved her.

"I have a family too Izumi. I have an older brother and younger brothers that I want to see." He kneeled down to her height.

"B-But…" Izumi started crying, knowing that she wouldn't be able to see her friend anymore. She clutched her doll closer to her chest.

Tobirama wiped her tears away. "Don't cry Izumi." He smiled at her. "Despite being an Uchiha, I really like you. You… you're different from them, and I can't explain why."

"D-Did my clan do s-something to y-you?" He chuckled darkly.

"You'll understand one day." He stood up.

"W-We'll see e-each other one d-day! I s-swear it!"

"I hope so too." '_But I hope we never have to meet on a battlefield._' Izumi wrapped her arms around Tobirama and tightened her grip. As hard as she was trying to keep quiet, Tobirama could hear her crying. "You need to let go Izumi." Her grip tightened even more, but finally loosened. She stepped back and her eyes were red from crying.

"I'm gonna miss you." Tobirama could feel a mixture of emotions going through his head. He hated to admit it, but the little Uchiha standing in front of him had burrowed her way into his cold heart.

"I will too. Now go, your family misses you." She turned around and started walking towards her home.

"B-Bye Tobirama." She said.

Tobirama didn't walk away from where he stood until he couldn't see Izumi anymore. He took one last look at the little girl he had taken care of for the last few months and turned around.

It was time for him to go home.

* * *

As Tajima read through the reports, he felt dejected. The team had come back and they still haven't found a single sign Izumi. Other than that, the report had stated that they had found a compound burned to the ground with the dead lying everywhere. Tajima sighed and stood up from his desk, he could feel a headache coming on.

"Those damn Elders…" He muttered. They were the one's making him to all this paperwork. If it was up to him, he would be outside the compound, searching for his daughter. He slid the door open and walked out of the building. Tajima decided sometime during his walk that he wanted to see how Madara and Arata were doing with their training. After all, Masaru was the one training them now, not him. Tajima just didn't have the time to do it anymore. Izuna was probably getting his tutoring done with Hitomi.

Tajima walked through the fields when he sensed someone's chakra in front of the gate… It was a chakra signature he hasn't seen in months.

"Izumi." He whispered to himself. Tajima ran towards the gate, ignoring the weird looks that the clan members were giving him.

He came to a stop in front of the entrance to the compound. "Open it." He commanded to the guards. They stood still, not sure of what to do. "I said open it!" Obeying the clan head, they hurryingly ran in front of him and started pulling the gate open.

"Who the hell are you?" He heard one guard said to the little girl standing in front of them. Tajima ran forward while pushing those two guards away and stood a few feet away from the little girl.

"…Izumi?" He couldn't believe it, was this her? This wasn't some genjutsu, right?

"F-Father?" He fell on his knees, his arms handing limply on his sides. He would know that voice anywhere. Izumi ran forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, causing a few tears to fall from his eyes.

"You're alive, thank Kami you're alive." He brought his arms around her. "I thought you were dead." He said into her hair. Izumi had started crying sometime during their reunion

"I w-was so scared!" Tajima's grip tightened.

"You're okay now, you're okay." He stood up and carried her back to the house. Screw the elders; he would deal with them later.

The important thing was that Izumi was back home, she as finally safe again. He had thought that she had died along with his second-born. That was painful enough; finding out from Madara that Katsumi was dead.

"I-Is Madara and I-Izuna okay? T-They weren't k-kidnapped?"

"No, they're fine."

"Thank K-Kami." Izumi said into his neck.

* * *

It was Hitomi who was waiting for them when Tajima reached the front door with Izumi in his arms. After Hitomi smiled at the kidnapped heiress, she told Tajima that his other children were already in the house, waiting for Izumi.

"Well, we don't want to keep them waiting." He placed Izumi on the ground and let her run through the hallway to the living room.

Izumi was finally going to see her brother after all these months of pain and cruelty. She hurryingly slid the door open and stood there, trying to contain her tears. Standing in front of her were the brothers that she had thought about for so long, the people that had kept her going during her capture.

"I-Izumi, is that really you?" Madara asked. Izumi opened her mouth to say something, but her voice had failed her.

"Izumi!" Izuna shouted out and jumped onto his twin with tears on his face.

"I-Izuna!" She fell backwards, not able to keep her balance with her brother tackling her. Arata and Madara ran to the twins on the ground wrapped their arms the group.

"You're really here!"

"I missed you!"

"Don't ever leave!" Tajima stood by the doorway watching his children reuniting. Katsumi's death had been hard on everybody, especially Izuna. Everybody had thought that Izumi died along with him. Izuna had taken everything harder than everybody else; he believed that he lost his _twin_, his other half.

The only person missing in the group of people in front of Tajima was Katsumi, and he was sure he was on everybody's mind. But somewhere up there, his son was watching over them.

His family was whole once again.

* * *

_Five Years Later_

* * *

"Goddamn it Izumi, father told you to stay here!" Izumi shrugged her shoulders.

"I wanted to go see Aimi and Hina. Did you know their father's trying to marry them off?" She shook her head while she put her jacket away "He's such an ass."

"Ugh, you're lucky father or Madara weren't the ones that came home first."

"Oh shut up Izuna, you're worrying too much."

"No I'm not! One of the other compounds were attacked by the Senju-"

"And I would be able to protect myself." She tapped her eyes, flashing them red for a second until they returned back to their normal brown.

Izuna shook his head. "You're hopeless."

"That's one of my charm points." Izumi raised her arms above her head and stretched. "Where's Madara anyways?"

"I dunno, he went off into the forest, saying something about needing some time to meditate. I asked to come but he said he wanted to go alone." Izuna answered. Izumi froze at what he said. A forest…? "But Izumi… I followed him-"

'_Let's building a village here and make it so kids won't have to kill each other! We'll create a school where kids can train and grow up stronger Madara!_'

'_Hashirama…_'

Images of her brother and another boy sitting on a mountain came flooding through Izumi's head, causing her to push a hand against her head for the pain.

"Izumi? Are you okay?"

"…Yeah, I'm fine, just a headache." They both heard a knock on the front door. Izumi immediately forgot about what just happened and smiled. "That's Kazuyo! I invited her for dinner."

"What?! Why?"

"Because she's my friend."

"But she won't leave me alone then!" Izumi shrugged her shoulders and walked out of the room.

"Not my problem." She walked to the door and opened it. "Kazuyo-chan!"

"Hey Izumi." Kazuyo walked into the house. "Who's cooking dinner?"

"I think its Hitomi-baachan, but I don't know for sure-"

"Oh, is that Izuna?" Kazuyo ran towards her brother. "Hey Izuna, you missed me?" Izumi started laughing from the way her brother looked at her with so much misery.

"Leave me alone Kazuyo."

"Now, why would I do that?" Deciding to let her brother out of his misery, Izumi dragged her best friend away from him and dragged Kazuyo to her room.

She groaned. "Why did you take me away from my one true love?"

"We're too young for love, stupid."

"Still!" Izumi ignored her friend and continued looking at her closet for that book Kazuyo wanted.

"Hey Izumi? What's up with this weird thing?" She turned around and saw her friend holding a doll. Her eyes widened and she ran to grab it.

"It's a doll." Kazuyo looked at her weirdly.

"Uh… it's made out of cloth and rocks."

"So? It's something special." Izumi looked at it and felt a sense of reminiscence when she did. She remembered a certain white-haired boy making it for her. "Just let it go."

"Whatever. I'm starving, is the old lady making us dinner or what?"

"Don't call her that, she's taken care of my family since I could remember." Izumi took her friends arm. "If you're that hungry, let's just go make dinner together."

"Do you remember what happened last time we did that?"

Izumi turned her head towards her friend and Kazuyo saw a wicked gleam in her eye. "Of course I do."

"…I like the way you think, my friend."

"That's why you love me Kazuyo-chan!"

* * *

"What the hell?!" Izuna shouted out. He ran towards the sink and started downing water from the running faucet. He glared at his sister and her friend as they laughed at him sticking his tongue under the running water. Izumi was literally on the ground laughing so hard, there was no sound coming from her. Kazuyo was snorting and doing her weird laugh that sounded like the mixture of a pig and dog. To him, anyways.

"Wasn't it just delicious, my dear twin brother?" Izumi managed to say in between breaths.

"I hate you right now." He said. After a while, his tongue finally stopped burning from the sheer spiciness of the soup. He should've known those two had done something to it, they've done it before. Why did he accept and eat it? Why?

"I'll give you a sweet kiss to blow that spiciness away if you want, Izuna-kun." Kazuyo said to him as she placed her hands under her chin while they all sat at the dining room table.

"I'll pass. Go do that to Madara or something." Her face scrunched up at the thought of their older brother.

"Ew, your guy's brother would Katon my ass before I could step five feet near him." Izumi shoved rice in her mouth. "That's true. It'll be the end of the world when Madara lets you kiss him."

"Ugh, gross Izumi. Finish eating before talking." Her friend said. Izumi shrugged her shoulders. They sat with silence, only the sound of Izumi eating when they all heard the front door open.

"I'm home."

"Well speak of the devil.

"Oh shut up Kazuyo!" They all looked up to see the 14 year old boy walking to the kitchen, cuts and bruises all over his body. Something told Izumi that he had gotten those from his little"meditation" trip.

"Where the hell did you get that black eye Madara?" Izumi asked, quickly standing up.

"I…fell."

"Yeah, and Kazuyo kissed Izuna."

"Hey!" Ignoring the grumbling coming from her best friend, Izumi soaked a towel with cold water and pressed it against her brother's eye eye. "Father's going to throw a fit if he sees you like this."

"You need to be careful Madara-niisan; you know how father feels about hurting your eye."

"You want me to heal it?" Kazuyo asked from her seat, her hand glowing green with iryo-ninjutsu.

"Thanks Kazuyo." Standing up, she walked towards the teen and placed her hand on his eye and started healing it.

"Madara, where _is_ father anyways?" Izumi asked while she washed the dishes with Izuna wiping them dry.

"He said something about meeting the Elders. Probably about the Senju anyways."

"Did he say anything about the compound that was attacked?" Kazuyo asked, still healing Madara's eye. She was worried for her mother and sister who lived there, the Senju just attacked that compound.

"Sorry, but no." She signed.

"Well, you have a mission tomorrow so take a shower and go to sleep." Izumi said as she gave Izuna the last plate.

"Wait, how do you know about it?"

"Duh, I'm going with you." She said. Kazuyo yawned as she removed her hand from Madara's face to reveal a perfectly healed eye. This had cost a lot of her chakra, more than what she thought it would be.

"I'm going to go; my dad's going to want me home." After Izumi said bye to her friend and closed the door, her smile changed into a scowl as she glared at her older brother.

"So, please tell how you got those bruises and scratches."

"I told you that I fell."

"…Madara, I followed you today." Izuna suddenly interrupted. Izumi and Madara quickly turned their heads towards the boy.

"What?" Madara shouted out as he stood up from his chair, knocking it down.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Izumi asked. Her twin flinched from the intensity of both questions. He bravely stood where he was though and stared at his brother in the eye.

"Madara, that boy-" The air in the room suddenly turned cold as Madara walked up to Izuna and grabbed his shirt, lifting him until they were face to face.

"Don't," Madara's growled out. "-tell father." Izumi ran forward and tried to separate her brothers.

"Let him go Madara." Dropping the boy, he apologized and left the room, leaving Izuna sprawled on the floor in a coughing fit. "Are you okay?"

He coughed as Izumi rubbed her hand against his back. "I'm fine."

"Just give him time. Arata's death was hard on him, probably more than us. It probably hurt since his birthday was just yesterday."

"I know Izumi. It's just that… the boy he met up with today, he wasn't an Uchiha." She looked at her brother surprisingly.

"What?" Izuna shook his head.

"It's probably nothing; I'll keep it to myself." Izuna knew who it was, but he didn't want to bring his sister into it, just in case.

"If you say so." She pulled her brother up. 'Well, I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late Izuna." Hugging her brother, she kissed his cheek.

"Goodnight Izumi."

Izumi walked towards her room and slide her door open to reveal her doll laying on her futon, the moonlight shining on it through the window. She walked over to it and picked it up gently and looked at the barely visible face that was drawn on it.

"Tobirama…" She traced the face with her finger. "I wonder where you are right now…"

* * *

**A/N: **_So, here's the next chapter! The beginning was so hard, I almost felt like ripping my computer apart. Yes, ripping. I did a time-skip because I just needed too. If I didn't, this story probably would've gotten worse._

_So, how was it? Was it good? I actually enjoyed writing the other half of this story, it was really interesting. I'll be posting the ages after this to make sure everybody's not confused._

_THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS AND FOLLOWS, I WISH I COULD PERSONALLY COMMENT ON YOUR REVIEWS, BUT I'M REALLY BUSY WITH SCHOOL. It may not seem like it, but it really is._

_Other than this, please leave a review and don't forget to follow/fav.!_

**Uchiha**

**Madara: **14

**Katsumi:** Died at the age of 7

**Arata:** Died at the age of 8

**Izumi: **10

**Izuna:** 10

**Kazuyo: **11

**Senju**

**Hashirama: **14

**Tobirama: ** 13


	7. First Mission Without Her Twin

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it's like to feel absolutely worthless and they don't want anybody else to feel like that."**

Robin Williams

* * *

**First Mission Without Her Twin**

Yawning, Izumi slowly opened her eyes, only to be blinded by the sunlight that shined in through her window.

"Damn…" She muttered. As much as she wanted to pull her blanket over her head and fall back asleep, she had a mission today.

Somebody knocked on her door, waking her up even more. "Izumi, you ready?" She heard her older brother ask.

"…Yeah." Her mouth opened again with a yawn. "I'm awake."

"Awake? Izumi, we're leaving in fifteen minutes, what the hell are you doing sleeping?" There was a slight pause. "Actually, never mind, just go and get ready." Hearing that, the drowsy feeling she had disappeared. Fifteen minutes to get ready? How the hell did she oversleep? Izumi jumped up and ran towards her closet to get changed. '_Do I have time for breakfast?_' She asked herself as she pulled her shirt over her head. She still needed to brush her hair and teeth, which would take her at least ten minutes, give or take. There wouldn't be enough time for food!

Running into the bathroom, she hurryingly pushed the mint paste on her brush and shoved it in her mouth, brushing her teeth. '_Crap crap crap!_'

"Izumi? Are you okay?" She looked to her right and saw her brother standing there, still dazed with sleep.

She spat out the paste. "Yeah, uh… I overslept." Her brother shook her head and pushed her out of the way.

"Go and get-" He yawned. "-ready then." She nodded her head and ran out of the room to get her pack ready.

* * *

Izumi ran out of the front door, only to see Madara standing in front with his arms crossed and his face showing annoyance.

"Izumi, you're late!" Madara scolded.

"Sorry sorry!" Izumi apologized. She decided that skipping breakfast would be a _bad_ idea, especially for this mission. "I wanted some food." Her brother flicked her forehead.

"I can tell, you have rice on your cheek." Izumi's eyes widened and her hand flew up to her cheek.

"Oh." She blushed and quickly brushed the rice off. But it was worth it to see her brother laugh, something he hasn't been doing much of lately.

"Let's go, father is waiting for us at Grandmother's house." Izumi groaned at hearing the Elder's name. But Madara ignored her and started walking, causing Izumi to follow.

"Why are we going there? All she's going to do is snipe about how it's unorthodox to be a Kunoichi, especially to me."

"She won't do that." Madara argued. But Izumi gave him an 'Oh really?' look.

"Izumi-chan, you're the Uchiha princess, why are you a Kunoichi? You should be with your friends and learning how to care for a husband. Kunoichi's don't have long lives!" She mocked in Mariko's voice. From the corner of her eye, she saw her brother smirk.

"_Okay_, that might be true."

"Exactly!" Izumi adjusted her armor since it was digging into her back. "I'm changing the subject but why won't father let Izuna come with us? He should know how much…stronger I am with Izuna. And this is going to be my first mission without him... It's going to feel so weird."

"You'll get used to is. And besides, father wasn't the one who chose to do this, it was the Elders. They want to make sure you can fight without Izuna and vice versa. They don't want you two to get dependent on each other."

"Ugh, the Elders again. It's like they don't care." She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. "I'm totally fine, I have the Sharingan." Izumi jumped in front of her brother and started walking backwards with her hands behind her back. "The only girl in the world with the Sharingan!"

"Yes, I know. You and Izuna would probably be fine without each other." Madara looked up and saw the building. "Now let's go, we're here."

* * *

"Izumi-chan, did you know that my sister died around your age?" Mariko asked the girl.

Izumi's eye twitched. "No Grandmother, I did not."

Mariko's eyes became unfocused as she remembered memories from years ago. "She was so beautiful; she would've had so many suitors."

"That's nice."

"But she died in a fight." The old lady turned to her. "She was a Kunoichi after all. They don't live long lives."

"Now Mother, they're not here to talk. They can do that some other time." Her father interrupted. As Mariko turned around to talk to her son, Izumi mouthed thank you to her father. "That's right; Madara and Izumi are here for the mission details." Her grandmother stood up and walked over to her desk to grab the folder that contained it. She handed it to Madara and sat back down in front of Izumi.

"Thank you Grandmother." Madara said while he leafed through the papers. "We should be back within the week." He finished and looked up.

"Then you should probably be off then!" Izumi stood up and bowed stiffly at Mariko.

"Thank you for having us Grandmother." She smiled at her father and walked out of the room, Madara following closely behind. "Thank Kami we're out of there. I thought I would die!"

"You're over-exaggerating." She flipped her head behind her and looked at him, her eyes widened with shock.

"Really? You're really going to say that? The old hag was trying to guilt trip me! It was her sister, her _sister_!"

"Izumi! Don't call Grandmother that!" She scowled and turned away. She heard her brother sigh, but she didn't care. She hated her Grandmother, she was always doing something like this whenever Izumi went and visited. She wasn't always like this, it all started when Izumi decided to become a Kunoichi after her kidnapping. Even if her grandmother was part of Elders, after they all found out that Izumi had awakened her Sharingan, every Elder (besides her grandmother) immediately pushed for her training to become a Kunoichi. "Izumi? You listening?"

"Huh?"

"How are you a shinobi when you can't even pay attention?" Izumi opened her mouth to say something but Madara held his hand up. "Actually, don't answer that. We need to go if we're going to reach the other compound."

"Which one?"

"Nidai." Her brother answered.

"Oh, the one that was just attacked by the Senju?" Izumi asked.

"Yeah."

"I wonder if Kazuyo's mother and sister are okay."

"They probably are. That's one of the reasons why the Elders want us to go there."

* * *

Izumi and her older brother were on their way to Nidai, the small compound that was recently the victim of an attack by the Senju.

"Hey Madara, how far away is Nidai this time?" She saw her brother furrow his eyebrows. The only reason she asked was because the usual way they had to take a different way compared to usual because of the recent attack.

"It's a few hours, depending on how long it takes." He looked up at the sky. "If we're unlucky we'll have to make camp though."

"The one thing I don't want to do…" She grumbled. But they continued on their journey until it was too dark to do anything.

"This place with make do for tonight." Madara said, looking at Izumi. "We'll leave at first light." Izumi groaned and collapsed down onto the bedroll that they brought.

"Whyyy?" She whined. Izumi opened one eye and saw her older brother looking down at her.

"Gee, I wonder why? It's probably not because of a certain _person_ having to go back to the house to get supplies." Her brother said sarcastically.

"Hey, I needed some stuff." She paused. "Not to mention I forgot my katana somehow."

"Whatever. Just get some sleep, I'll keep watch." Not wanting to argue with her brother, Izumi turned around and closed her eyes. At first, Izumi couldn't fall asleep, she was too nervous. But the slow breathing of her brother and the warmth of the fire soon lulled her to sleep.

Izumi shot up, her mouth opened with a silent scream. She looked to her right and saw Madara standing there, relieving her and causing the tension in her body to leave.

"Good, you're awake. Eat this and get ready to leave." Her brother said and threw something at her. She caught it with her hands and looked at it.

"Thanks."

Her brother smiled. "Nidai's not far from here. We'll get there by noon." Izumi groaned at what her brother said and started rubbing her calf muscles.

"My legs are sore from all that running yesterday."

Madara shrugged. "Not my problem." He walked away and Izumi started eating her breakfast bar, one thought wouldn't leave her head.

Why was an Uchiha that had an uncanny resemblance to her brother standing on top of the Kyuubi with a Sharingan she had never seen before?

* * *

"Are we there yet Madara?"

"No, so stop asking." Izumi grew bored of jumping from tree to tree so she activated her Sharingan from boredom. Suddenly, everything around her grew clear and she could see with so much detail. But from the corner of her eye, she could see a group of chakra that didn't seem right.

"Madara." He continued running. "Madara!" She hissed.

"What?" He turned his head around, shocked that her Sharingan was on. She might get in trouble later for it, but it didn't matter right now.

"Behind us, five o'clock." Madara closed his eyes and tried to sense for the group.

"I can't sense anything." Izumi shook her head in denial.

"No, something's definitely wrong there."

Then suddenly a kunai was thrown towards Madara and Izumi swung her unsheathed katana to prevent it from hitting its target. The kunai hit her katana with a clang and fell down onto the forest floor. Izumi gave her brother an 'I told you so' look and prepared herself for a fight.

"Can't believe these brats were able to sense us." Out from the trees came two men dressed in the Senju armor. Izumi quickly deactivated her Sharingan and her brother stood in front of her, as if to protect her.

"Stay behind me." Her brother ordered, his eyes red with the clan kekkei genkai.

The Senju's eyes widened. "Do you know Uchiha Izumi?"

Madara's grip on his katana tightened. "Why do you want to know?"

The men's eyes widened in recognition. "Damn, it's Uchiha Madara." They looked panicked now, and it was confusing the two Uchiha's. Izumi knew her brother was well known for being a strong shinobi, especially on the battlefield, it was something she had yet to see. But she's heard what the clansmen say about him, and it was impressive.

The Senju on the left scowled. "Let's just get this over-" But he never finished his sentence, Izumi ran at him with her katana raised at an impressive speed for a person her stature. He blocked her katana, and with the sound of the metal hitting each other, all hell broke loose.

That Senju man had underestimated her and it was probably because he thought her as the opposite gender. I guess this was the good thing about having a child's body, if a girl kept her hair short most people will think that she's a boy. Well, unless she started talking. It was just too high to be a boy's, even for a child.

Then again, this was Izumi's tactic and it worked most of the time.

But she too had underestimated the Senju. This man was stronger than most Senju's she's faced, and she knew it not even a few minutes into their fight. He avoided most swings she did and she was taking more and more damage. Out of the two, she knew that he had fewer wounds than her. Izumi looked behind her and saw her brother fighting the other man. Realizing that this man was just trying to tire her out, she decided to stop using her katana and started using ninjutsu. She quickly sheathed her katana and started moving her hands and she avoided the Senju's

"Katon: Gōkakyū no jutsu!" But all that came out of her mouth was smoke from the failed jutsu, not that Izumi was complaining. The smoke helped distract the man and let her run at him with her kunai. But from the corner of her eye, she saw a sudden flash of white, causing her to freeze. She swore she saw red eyes, but not the red she saw in her clan's kekkei genkai. That couldn't have been…?

"Izumi!" She quickly turned her head around and saw her brother fighting her opponent. After wounding the Senju tremendously, they fled; leaving the two Uchiha's to clean themselves up. Izumi looked up and her brother and still saw his Sharingan activated. His wasn't fully matured yet and it frustrated him very much, while hers was fully matured with three tomoe's in each eye, unlike her brother who only had two.

But Izumi was different, and she knew that. That's why all these things were happening to her. But it's not like she would shout it out from the rooftops, she would always keep that thought locked up in her head.

"What the hell was that Izumi?" Her brother snapped at her, anger etched on his face.

"I saw something-"

"You could've _died_ if I didn't come in." Madara closed his eyes and started rubbing his nose. "What did you see that was _so_ important?"

Izumi opened her mouth, but it wasn't like she could tell her brother that she thought she saw Tobirama Senju. That's why she decided to lie. "…It was nothing Madara. I'm sorry for what I did, I could've died and I know that now."

Madara opened his eyes, the anger in his eyes slowly faded away only to reveal worry and relief. "Let's just go, we need to report this to Naha-sama."

* * *

The moment they walked in through Nidai's gates, Izumi felt so much safer, she didn't have to keep looking behind every few minutes to make sure no one was following them, even if she was just overreacting.

"I'm going to see Naha-sama; you can go find the house that they've prepared for us, okay?" Madara asked. Izumi nodded her head and walked over to where Kazue-san lived, Naha-sama's wife.

After knocking and slightly opening the door, Izumi poked her head through the small gap. "Kazue-san?"

"Oh! Izumi-chan, come in, come in!" The old lady stood up from her cushion and hurryingly ushered Izumi in. "Is your twin with you today?"

Izumi shook her head. "No, it's only Madara this time."

"That must be quite a big change, isn't it?" Kazue asked. Izumi nodded her head, agreeing with Kazue's question. "Well, it doesn't matter today. You and your brother will be staying here today." She said with a smile that warmed Izumi's heart.

"Thank you Kazue-san." Kazue led her down the hallway in the house and showed her two rooms, the smaller one for her and the larger one for Madara. After thanking the elder, she was dragged to the table in the living room and had tea with Kazue. All the lady would ask was how the main compound was doing and how Hiromi was doing.

Hiromi was one of Izumi's closest friends, if not closest next to Kazuyo. The only big difference between the two was that Hiromi had absolutely no training in the Shinobi arts, unlike Kazuyo. The only reason why Kazue would ask about her friend was because Hiromi was her granddaughter.

"They never come to visit, you know? It makes me so sad." She shook her head. "If only my daughter considered _my_ feelings too, not that rotten husband of hers." Izumi smiled and stood up, careful to not spill the cup of tea on the table.

"It seems that my brother and your husband is about to arrive Kazue-san, let us welcome them back." She helped the old lady up and walked toward the front door, it opened the moment Izumi and Kazue walked out of the living room. Talk about perfect timing.

Madara bowed to the elder lady. "Thank you for letting us stay in your house for the week, especially because of what just happened. I hope it is not too much trouble"

"Oh, it's okay Madara! It's not trouble at all." She replied with a smile.

Izumi bowed. "Thank you Naha-sama for opening your house to us."

"You two are too formal, my wife and I have zero problems housing you two for your stay." The older man said after motioning for the two to raise their heads.

"Now, I'll have dinner prepared. Why don't you two go to the head to the bathhouse?" Kazue suggested.

Izumi smiled. "Yes please!"

* * *

Izumi rubbing her arms as she walked next to Madara, feeling lighter without the weight of her armor weighing her down. She could already see bruises popping up on her arms from her earlier fight now too.

"You should totally heal me Madara."

"I should totally not." She glared at her brother.

"Why not?"

"Because, it's your punishment-"

"Good evening Madara-sama!" Two girls suddenly shouted out and bowed, interrupting the two's playful banter. Madara started blushing, not sure of what to do.

"Uh… Good evening too." He said. But giggles and squeals came from the two girls who looked to be around the same age, causing Izumi to scoff at the stupidity of these two.

"Let's go Madara, we need to go now or we won't make it back to Kazue-san's dinner." She said as she dragged her brother in the direction of the baths. She was glad that she wasn't 14 yet.

Izumi hated it when people did this to her brother, it was just too weird. Especially when girls her brother's age did it, it seemed to cause her brother to just shut down. Just because he's the next clan heir doesn't mean you have to suck up to him now; her father wasn't going to die that soon. If Izumi had any say in it, he wouldn't become clan head until he was like 50! But she was exaggerating, of course.

But there was nothing she could complain about. He _is_ a 14 year old after all, and like most boys his age they tend to get weird around girls.

* * *

"About 45 minute's right?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think so. But I might get out earlier; you can go home on your own if that happens right?"

"Of course, who do you think I am? Izuna?" Madara flicked her forehead, causing Izumi to rub the pink spot.

"You're his _twin_; of course I'm going to worry! You two share like half a brain!" Izumi shot her brother a glare and walked into the women's side of the baths while hearing her brother laugh from behind her.

"Just because I'm his twin doesn't mean I'm going to get lost like he does…" She grumbled to herself as she walked into the changing room. Izumi could see women of all ages around her. She was pretty sure she saw a few kids too, not that she cared. She took off her clothes and placed them neatly into the baskets the bathhouse provided and walked out of the door into the showers. After rinsing herself, she quickly walked towards the hot spring and sat down in the water. Izumi groaned and moved around to sit more comfortably in the hot spring.

"Thank Kami for hot springs; I wouldn't know what to do without them."

* * *

**A/N: **_Hey guys, so here's the next chapter of Looking into His Eyes! How was it? Was it good? This chapter was fairly easy to write compared to the others and it's probably because I wasn't chained down to events and ages like the others. I could basically write whatever I wanted and whoever I wanted. Hehe, the power of an author! Muahahaha!_

_Anyways, I think I will start recommending books to read! (Wait, am I even allowed too? If not then…oops.) I absolutely love to read both fanfiction and actual hardcover or paperback books. If I'm actually not allowed too, then someone should totally tell me so I don't break some unknown law that's floating around in the thing we call Internet._

_My first recommendation is the__** Throne of Glass**__ series by __**Sarah J. Maas.**__ This series it just awesome, especially if you're into the fantasy-type novels like I am. It's so well written and I can just reread all the books over and over again and not get tired of it! Woop woop!_

_Thank you __**Guest, LightToYourDarkness, Himeno Kazehito, Jerkles, lucky vortex, Loopy, iciclefanAJ, Llyrica, **__and __**silly60**__ for your reviews! You guys are one of the reasons why I'm updating this earlier than planned! All of your guy's reviews made me super warm and happy inside, especially since I found out that the guy that I thought was kinda cute just started dating. Dx sadness._

_So that its!_

_Until next time dear Readers~_


	8. They meet again

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future."**

Walt Disney

* * *

**So We Meet Again...**

Just like what her brother said to their grandmother, Izumi and Madara left Nidai a week later. Izumi felt so refreshed, something that she hadn't felt in months because of the constant battles that the Uchiha were having with the Senju. But one thought never left her mind as she watched her brother while they traveled home,

Was her dream a vision or just that, a dream?

Since the two had no trouble on their way home, they were able to make the trip back to the main compound in one day. Although the trip was tiring, Izumi still felt more rested than ever. She was talking to Madara about Izuna when they reached the front gates. As they opened, she could see said person waiting for them.

"Izuna!" Izumi shouted. She ran towards her other brother and tackled him, causing them to fall to the ground. "I missed you my dear twin!" She could hear the people around them laughing as Izuna tried to get her off of him, but failing.

"Izumi, that's enough. Get off your brother." Looking up, she saw her father towering over them.

"F-Father!" She quickly got off her brother and started fixing her armor. From the corner of her eye, she could see Madara walking off, probably to see the Elders.

"I just finished talking with your brother; he said that you couldn't do the Katon jutsu?"

Izuna looked at Izumi, who paled at her father's words. "You can't do it?"

"N-No! I can do it, I just…" She trailed off and looked down, the happy mood that surrounded her disappearing.

"Just what Izumi?"

"I don't know… It's just really hard. If I concentrate, then it works." Tajima gave her a look, something scaring her. But he ruined that look when he scrunched his forehead, as if in thought.

"…Izumi, come with me. You can come too Izuna, if you want." He turned around and started walking towards their house, his children following closely behind him.

"Do you think I'm in trouble?" Izumi whispered to Izuna.

"I don't know but if you were, what for?"

"…I don't know."

When they reached the house, her father went straight to the scroll room that they had.

"What are you looking for Father?" Izumi asked as she watched him look at scrolls on the shelves. He had already went to the only desk in the room and took three pieces of paper, she couldn't see anything written on them.

"I'm looking for…" His hand stopped at a scroll that Izumi couldn't see. "Got it." He pulled it out and unfurled it. "Follow me; we're going into the backyard." He walked out of the room, Izuna and Izumi following him.

"Father, what are we doing?" Izuna asked, looking troublingly at his sister. Tajima rarely did stuff like this with his children, yet alone train. Their trip to the backyard with a scroll that contained jutsu's sounded suspiciously like training to them.

"Well, I'm pretty sure your sister isn't suited for the Katon jutsu's that we teach." Tajima said to them as he placed the scroll on the ground, Izuna and Izumi standing in front of him. He stood up and handed them both a slip of paper.

"This is blank, what are we supposed to do with it?"

"This paper tests your Chakra Nature and it's quite rare and expensive, not to mention only the Elders or I have it. And because most people in the Uchiha have the Fire Nature, we don't bother testing our kids for their Nature." He held up a paper and pushed chakra into it, causing it to ignite and then turn to ash. "But then again, you two might have the rare exception."

"So you want us to test our nature?"

"Yes." Izumi looked at her brother and turned her head back to the paper.

"Well, here goes nothing." She pushed chakra into her paper, expecting it to have the same reaction as her fathers.

But she was wrong, it did the total opposite.

Her paper turned damp, as if soaked in water. She looked at her brother, and then her father. "That…was not what I expected."

"Water Nature… Just like I thought." Tajima turned to Izuna. "Let's see what you are." Izuna pushed chakra into his paper, but unlike his sister, his paper ignited and turned to ash.

"Oh." Izuna stared at his paper in disappointment; he wanted to be the same as Izumi.

"Your mother, surprisingly, had Water Nature, unlike most Uchiha's." He handed Izumi the scroll that he brought with him. "I had a guess that you had Water Nature, that's why I brought this over."

"Suiton: Mizurappa?" Izumi asked out loud. Seeing this jutsu brought back memories.

If she remembered correctly, Tobirama used this jutsu to help them escape.

"We don't have many, obviously because most of us are Fire Nature, but your mother had quite a lot. I think she had the most in the clan." Izumi's eyes widened, as if she remembered something.

"No wonder why the Katon jutsu's you taught us were a struggle for me!" Tajima smiled.

"Can I try it too?" Izuna asked.

He turned towards his son. "You can _try _to do this jutsu, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to do it. Most people can't do two different Chakra Nature's at your age; one is hard enough for most." He smiled at his twins. "But I believe that you two can master both types of Chakra, even it being Fire or Water."

* * *

"This is so fucking hard!"

"Izumi, language!" She turned towards her brother, obviously irritated. Izuna sighed.

"Hey, just because I cussed-"

"You're cussing because of Kazuyo, isn't it?"

"What?! Of course not!" Izumi said. She started rubbing her head sheepishly, already knowing that Izuna didn't believe her.

He started shaking his head. "I don't understand why you bother being friends with her, she's so crude!" Izumi placed her hand on her hips and started laughing.

"The only reason why you don't like her is because she won't leave you alone whenever she sees you."

"_Of course__!_ Like yesterday, she came out of nowhere and slapped my butt! My _butt!" _He shouted out, annoyed.

"You know you secretly enjoyed that Izuna-kun." He looked behind him in surprise.

"Kazuyo-chan! You came!" Said girl started running towards the two, causing Izuna to hide behind his sister.

"Of course I would. Why wouldn't I?" She looked at Izuna, her eyes shining with mischief. "I figured that your brother would be with you too, so I couldn't pass off your invitation Izumi." Izumi radiated with happiness and excitement while her brother was the total opposite, he radiated with annoyance and surprisingly, a little fear.

"Oh, come here Izuna-kun. Let me give you a hug." Kazuyo said, amused.

"I'm good!" He said from behind Izumi's back.

"So does anybody want to explain why there mud like, everywhere?" She asked, changing the subject.

"I have Water Nature, so I'm learning some Suiton jutsus." Izumi answered.

"Oh, no wonder the Katon ones were so hard for you."

"You wanna see?"

"Sure." Izumi turned around towards Izuna, who was currently trying to sneak away back into the house.

"Suiton: Mizurappa!" She shouted out. Instead of a large wave, only a decent jet of water came out of Izumi's mouth, but it was strong enough to reach and push her brother- face first -into a puddle of mud. Her brother glared at the two girls, but it was hard enough to look intimidating when he was covered in mud, it's even harder when they weren't paying attention because of their laughing.

"You idiot, you thought we wouldn't notice you sneaking away?" Izumi shouted out to her brother while Kazuyo was gasping for breath because she was laughing too much.

"Goddamn it Izumi!"

"You want me to help you clean it off Izuna-kun? I have no problems helping you shower!"

"What?! Gross!"

* * *

_One Month Later_

* * *

Izumi was sharpening her katana when her father came barging into the house, Izuna close behind him.

"Izumi, get your armor and weapons." Tajima demanded. She quickly stood up, clearly confused.

"What? How come Father?"

"Because I said so, now hurry up." She scrambled to her room and quickly put on her armor. In less than five minutes, she was all suited up. After he told Izuna to stay at the house, Tajima motioned for Izumi to follow him.

"Father, where are we going?" She asked as they traveled deeper and deeper into the forest.

"Izuna told me that your older brother was meeting up with a Senju, and that Senju happened to be Butsuma's kid."

An image suddenly popped into her head, Madara and a boy with brown hair talking and training together, Izumi immediately knew the name of the boy.

_Senju Hashirama_

"But Father, are they doing anything bad?" She asked. Izumi was about to ask more questions but when she saw her father's face -Sharingan activated- she decided that asking it would be a bad idea. By the time they reached the river, Izumi could see her brother.

They hid behind the bushes and watched as they exchanged greetings, but Tajima could tell something was off. That Senju already knew, he could tell with the way his face looked. Not to mention he could tell that Butsuma and his other kid was with him. He watched as his son skipped a rock.

"Actually, I can't stay anymore. I realized that I had to do something today." Madara announced to the boy from across the stream right after he received the skipped rock from Hashirama.

"Me too Madara, I remembered I had something to do today too."

Tajima watched as both boys ran back into their sides of the forest. "Damn it, Madara's warned him. Let's go Izumi!" He commanded.

Tajima and his daughter ran past a shocked Madara as they both landed onto the water, Sharingan's activated. She unsheathed her katana, ready for a battle if one came to be.

That is, until Izumi saw the white haired boy standing next to Butsuma. The grip on her katana weakened as she saw Tobirama, his hand on his own katana. '_No… I can't do this!'_ She thought to herself, freaking out. She was pretty sure her father caught onto her sudden nervousness so she wiped her face of emotion and faced the two Senju. Besides, he probably wouldn't recognize her.

'_The Senju killed your brother, they killed your family Izumi, and they've killed members of your clan. What will stop him from doing the same thing now?"_

"Seems like we both had the same idea, Senju Butsuma." Her father announced with his hand on his katana.

"And Senju Tobirama, I believe." She added on, making sure to not add any emotion into her voice.

But she was recognized. At first, Tobirama didn't. But he soon remembered the chakra signature the girl standing in front of him had; it was Uchiha Izumi, the girl he saved years ago. He may not be showing it, but he was currently panicking inside his head. He couldn't believe it; the five year old girl he rescued had a fully matured Sharingan and prepared to fight him, not to mention that she was the clan head's daughter, something he didn't know. But he tightened his resolve; after all, the Uchiha had killed his brothers Itama and Kawarama, not to mention many members of his clan too. She was an Uchiha, the _enemy_.

"Indeed, Uchiha Tajima."

"And Izumi, right?" The two stared into each other's eyes, her eyes revealing that accursed kekkei genkai.

Tajima knew that Butsuma had strength akin to his own, only because of the constant battles they had against each other. Izumi on the other hand, wasn't sure if she could battle against Tobirama, especially after everything she's heard about him on the battlefield. But she saw her father motion for attack, and so she followed his orders.

After all, he was her father and clan leader. She had no other choice.

"Stop!" Madara and Hashirama shouted out at the same time, but their family didn't listen.

_Clang_

Izumi looked straight into Tobirama's face and saw nothing, no emotion, no remembrance. This helped steel her heart because if he didn't remember her, she wouldn't feel _as_ guilty if she killed him. But in the end, she probably wouldn't even be able to give the killing blow.

She quickly looked up to see her father high above her throwing a saber straight for Tobirama while a kunai was headed for her. She was even more shocked that her father didn't bother trying to stop the kunai headed towards her; his only focus was to kill Tobirama. But a rock suddenly flew past her head, knocking away the kunai while one from the other side hit the saber away, secretly relieving Izumi. That it, until she saw her brother jump in front of her.

"I'll never forgive anyone who tries to hurt my little sister, no matter who it is!" He shouted out.

"I think the same!" Hashirama also shouted out, his hands balled. There was a few seconds of silence, until Madara started talking.

"Hey Hashirama…"

"What?"

"That dream we were talking about…is probably impossible, unobtainable."

"Madara… You-"

"It may have been brief, but it was fun…Hashirama." Izumi may have been standing behind her brother, but she could tell with the slight waver in his voice that he was angry and sad. Izumi could feel the wind blowing all around them; she could smell that certain smell before a battle, the once smell she hated more than anything.

"Three against three… Do you think we can take them Madara?" She heard her father ask. Her hand tightened around her katana in anger, her father didn't even bother try to stop that kunai Butsuma threw at her, she was saved by a rock thrown by Madara.

"No…" Izumi's eyes widened from her brother's statement. "Hashirama is stronger than me. If we fight, we'll lose." She couldn't believe it, someone stronger than him? But Izumi said that out loud, slightly embarrassing herself.

"I see." Her father said, sounding quite impressed. "We're retreating, let's go." She took a step back and looked at her brother, who happened to be facing her and her father.

"Goodbye."

"Madara, you…haven't really given up, have you? You thought the same-"

"You are a Senju; I really wish it wasn't. My brother was killed by a Senju and yours by the Uchiha…" Her brother trailed off. But Izumi looked at her brother's face, only to be surprised once again; his Sharingan was activated…and had three tomoe's in each eye. "Our next meeting will likely be on the battlefield." He turned his head toward Hashirama, eyes flashing red.

Izumi heard her father chuckle and she knew exactly why. "Well, what do you know? All it took was this to mature your Sharingan." He turned around and ran into the forest, Madara following closely behind. She took one last look at her savior from five years ago, the same boy that had smiled at her, hugged her, and had made her that doll, and closed her eyes. She ran after her father and brother, feeling a slight pain in her heart.

She felt tears sliding down her face as she looked at the backs of Madara and her father. "Tobirama… Why?" She whispered.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Well, that scene ended. This was so goddamn hard, not to mention that I have a serious case of writer's block. I was lucky that this was already ¾ done; I wouldn't know what to do! Hope it was good and not dull, but I'm not proud of it. At all._

_SO OMGOMGOMG I WOKE UP THIS MORNING TO SEE KAKASHI'S FACE I'M FREAKING OUT A LITTLE PEOPLE HES SO FUCKING HOTT I'M SO DONE._

_I swear I died a little. Not even kidding. UGH KAKASHI'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND I'M JUST SO DONE IT SHOULD BE A CRIME TO BE THAT ATTRACTIVE, MANGA OR NOT I SWEAR THIS IS THAT ONE THING I WILL LOVE KISHIMOTO FOR MORE THEN ANYTHING I'M STILL FREAKING OUT ABOUT THIS AND IT'S BEEN OVER 12 HOURS WHAT HAS MY LIFE BECOME._

…_Well, got that off my chest xD_

_So, can't promise when this will be updated, but it won't be too long, I swear!_

_For this chapter's book recommendation, I say **Between Shades of Gray** by **Ruta Sepetys**. If you like to read historical fiction, especially about the Soviet Union during World War II, then I totally recommend this book! It's just so heart touching and probably in the top three of my favorite books of all time, and I've read A LOT._

_Until next time!~_


	9. Time Flies By, Doesn't It?

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

**"There is neither happiness nor unhappiness in this world; there is only the comparison of one state with another. Only a man who has felt ultimate despair is capable of feeling ultimate bliss. It is necessary to have wished for death in order to know how good it is to live...the sum of all human wisdom will be contained in these two words: Wait and Hope."**

Alexandre Dumas _(The Count of Monte Cristo)_

* * *

**Time Flies By…Doesn't It?**

The last time Izumi saw Tobirama was when she was 10 and on that river, ready to fight him.

She was now 16 and trying desperately not to punch her father in the face right now.

Izumi gave her father a stiff smile, her eyes revealing how much anger and annoyance she felt at the moment. "Father, why is Grandmother here right now?" She turned towards the old lady sitting in the living room of their house. "Not that I am complaining, it is an honor for you to come and visit us Grandmother."

Mariko stood up, her knees popping from old age. "I'm here to talk to you about something Izumi." She turned her grey eyes on Izumi. "I hear you turned down Hiroyuki's marriage proposal."

Izumi felt her right eye twitch, something that didn't go unnoticed by her father. "Izumi-"

"I thought I told Father not to say anything but yes Grandmother, I did decline his proposal." Izumi interrupted. "Why would you do such a thing? He's such a nice man-"

"Who happens to be 11 years my senior-"

"You are wasting your life away girl! You are at the _perfect_ age for marriage, yet you choose to do these dangerous jobs that will get yourself killed!" Mariko shouted out, her patience with Izumi nonexistent. "You should be settled down now, living in a house with a husband to care for-"

"And what, rot away in that house? Mother a child from a man I don't even love, yet alone know?"

"How dare you-"

"That may have been your life, but it is not mine. I_ will_ marry a man that I love, I _will_ have child with a man that I can trust with my life, with my _heart_!" Izumi snapped at her Grandmother.

"Get over yourself! Those are just dreams Izumi, in reality that doesn't happen!" Mariko took a step forward, her eyes revealing how furious she was with the 16 year old.

There was silence after she said that, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Then I will not get married." Izumi took a step back, her feet side by side. "It is that simple." She said calmly.

Mariko voice raised an octave, the red in her face revealing how outraged she was. "How dare you say those things!" She raised a finger at Izumi. "As the heiress of this clan and as a woman, it is your _job_ -"

Izumi's eyes flashed red with anger from what Mariko had said. "My _job_?" Her voice shook with anger as she struggled to stop herself from hitting the old woman in front of her, despite it being Izumi's grandmother. "My _job_ is to protect the Uchiha from enemies. My _job_ is to be a Kunoichi, a Shinobi. I am not some…_baby_ maker that you can control!" Izumi balled her fists as she remembered each death of a friend, of a family member, of an Uchiha. "You have not seen what I have, the deaths, the darkness. Why would I want to bring a child into this hell that we call the world?" Izumi pointed to herself. "It is my life; it shall be my decision, not yours."

Mariko stood there, breathing hard from their argument. "It _is_ my job to help you with these things for you because your mother is gone; she's not here to do these things!"

"But you are _not_ my mother; you are my grandmother from my father's side of the family, not hers. She-"

"Your mother is dead because of you!"

"Mother! That is enough!" Tajima suddenly shouted out right after his mother shouted out those words. Mariko quickly turned her head towards him and started to say something, but he cut her off. "I think you need to leave, now."

"Tajima-"

"Now Mother." The old lady straightened her back and walked out of the room. A few seconds later, Tajima and Izumi heard the front door being slammed shut. He turned around to say something to his daughter but the place she was standing in was empty.

* * *

"I fucking hate that lady!" Izumi swung her fist, Kazuyo barely missed her punch.

"Calm down Izumi, I haven't seen you this mad in forever-" Izumi jumped back to avoid the kick from the other Kunoichi. They stood there, breathing hard from the spar that they were doing for the past 15 minutes.

"She's such a bitch!" Izumi screamed out. She did a 180 and punched the tree while she screamed, causing it to explode from the chakra she unconsciously released. There was a few seconds of silence until Kazuyo broke it.

"Maybe I should…leave and let you calm down." Kazuyo said, slowly taking a step back with her hands up. She eyed the broken tree, its broken pieces surrounding the angry girl. "I'm pretty sure that the tree right there is going to be me next and I quite like my body and its parts."

Izumi ran her hand through her hair. Her hairband broke halfway through their spar, letting Izumi's long hair down. (Despite this distraction, she almost managed to overwhelm Kazuyo, a Kunoichi almost two years her senior.)

"Sorry about that. I guess that's a good idea, I think I do need time alone." Kazuyo smiled at the girl and said goodbye as she walked back to the compound.

Izumi felt her anger slowly disappear as she took in her surroundings. She always felt at home whenever she went down to the river (which happens to be the same one Madara and that Senju kid met up at years ago). Her father worried that the Senju would come back to this river, but Izumi never saw a single hair of a Senju in the past three years since she started coming here. She walked along the bank, reminiscing about the past six years of her life.

Izumi didn't know why, but she just felt like doing that.

* * *

_Six Years Ago…_

* * *

"Father, it is not Madara's fault!" Izumi shouted out to her father, standing protectively in front of Madara.

"Move Izumi." Tajima demanded. But she didn't move, she stayed where she was standing.

"Father, please listen-"

"Your older brother was meeting with a Senju, a _Senju_! Do you need to be remembered of what they have done to the Uchiha, who they've killed within our clan?"

"But we do the same thing to them Father, do you not understand? We kill Senju's that have family, friends!" Her words got louder and louder. "Did you not think that I did not notice that kunai Butsuma threw at me? Did you think I would not notice that you _ignored_ it so you could do the same to his son? I could have died-"

_Smack_

Izumi's head snapped to the side, an imprint of a hand on her cheek that got redder and redder by the second. She clutched her cheek in shock and pain, trying hard not to burst out crying or to tear up. Even Tajima stood there frozen, shocked at what he did.

"Get out." Izumi and Madara stood where they were, unmoving. "I said get out, both of you!" Widening his eyes at his father's sudden outburst, Madara grabbed Izumi and rushed her out of the room, not wanting to face his father's anger. He led her to the kitchen and made her sit on a chair while he got a towel and wet it with cold water.

"I'm sorry." Izumi muttered, barely audible.

"For what? Standing up for me?" Madara said as he walked towards her. He placed the cold towel on her slightly swollen cheek, causing Izumi to flinch from the pain.

"But-" She looked up to see her brother smiling at her, but Izumi could tell that he was in pain, but not the physical kind.

"I don't know what would happen if I lost you Izumi." He suddenly told her, shocking Izumi into silence and worsening the aura of the room. But he lightened it when he tweaked her nose. "That's why you need to get stronger, ne?"

"Yes Madara!"

After watching Madara and her father leave the house (at separate times of course), Izumi went into her room and immediately went for the "doll" that sat on her bookshelf. For some reason, she felt a sudden swell of emotions in her chest. Izumi clutched the doll to her chest and cried, it was too much today, too much.

She cried for Arata and Katsumi, her brothers that didn't get to live past the age of 8.

She cried for Madara, who had to lose a dear friend today.

She cried for her Father, a person who had to raise his children alone without his wife.

She cried for Tobirama, the person who had laughed with her, smiled with her, hugged her while they both were in captivity.

But most of all?

She cried for herself, knowing that there was nothing she could do to change anything.

* * *

_Five Years Ago…_

* * *

Izumi was walking through the clan when she felt Hiromi's chakra running up to her.

"Hiromi-" Her eyes widened from seeing the disheveled state her friend was in. "Kami, what happened?"

"Nidai…was attacked by the…Senju."

"Again?!" Izumi shouted out, disbelieving at what the enemy clan was doing again. But she started to panic when she saw tears in Hitomi's eyes.

Tears meant bad things.

"My grandmother was one of the few who died."

"Kazue-san's…dead?" Hitomi nodded her head, a few tears falling from her eyes. "I-"

"I miss her already Izumi, why didn't I go and see her? Why didn't I go and see my grandparents? Why?" She wailed out. Izumi quickly grabbed the girl's shoulders and held her, comforting her friend as best as she could.

'_The Senju…they are the one's responsible for this.' _She thought to herself.

It was when Izumi held her mourning friend that a sliver of hatred, a sliver of darkness, slipped itself into her heart.

It was then when she started to hate the Senju.

* * *

_Four Years Ago…_

* * *

Izumi had just stabbed the man (a Senju) in his chest when she heard someone cry out from across the field. It sounded suspiciously like her older brother's voice. The dead man quickly forgotten, Izumi sprinted to where the voice came from.

But what she saw was not what she expected at all.

Her brother was leaning over a body, all the Senju's around him dead. This mission wasn't supposed to be hard; it wasn't supposed to turn into a fight. But they sprung a trap that the Senju had placed, which meant a fight was inevitable.

"Madara…"

"Izumi, do something! Koizumi's dying!" Her brother shouted out to her. He turned around and Izumi was shocked at what she saw.

Instead of the usual three tomoe's in a Sharingan, her brother's eyes had three large tomoe with a hole in the middle of the head, revealing a small circle of red while the tomoe's all connected into one large circle.

But Izumi ran forward, her hand glowing with the green of iryo-ninjutsu. Her brother's eyes would be dealt with later. But looking at Koizumi, Izumi knew that there was nothing that she could do to save her brother's girlfriend, and she was pretty sure Koizumi knew it too. After all, the Uchiha's weren't famous for their iryo-ninjutsu.

"Izumi…" Koizumi coughed and blood came out of her mouth, splattering Izumi's armor with her blood. "…Take care of-"

_Cough_

"Take care…of Madara for me… Okay?" She asked the girl, her voice getting smaller and smaller as the seconds passed. "And Madara…"

"K-Koizumi, please don't do this to me! Don't leave me!"

"I'm sorry that…I couldn't fulfill…that promise…that I made." Koizumi smiled at her boyfriend, the man that she loved, the man that she had planned on marrying. She raised her hand to his cheek and wiped away the tears that fell from his eyes, taking all the strength that she had in her dying body. "I…love you, Madara…"

The life in her eyes disappeared, as did a large piece of Madara's heart. He clutched her limp hand and screamed out, his little sister forgotten in the misery that surrounded him.

His one true love was…gone.

* * *

_Three Years Ago…_

* * *

"Izumi…?" The girl turned her head towards the voice, only to drop the plate she was carrying, causing it to shatter along the floor in tiny shards of pottery. But Izumi didn't care if she was barefoot, the only thing that mattered was her twin brother covered in blood. She ran forward and sat Izuna down on the chair.

"Kami Izuna, where are you hurt?" She asked as she struggled to get his armor off.

"Not my…blood."

"What? I can't hear you, speak up!" Izumi shouted out as she checked his body for any cuts or stab wounds.

"It's not my blood Izumi." He said, still quiet but loud enough for her to hear. She stared at him, not quite believing what he said.

"Then who's?" Her brother closed his eyes, as if remembering the person caused him pain.

"Hideki." Izumi's eyes widened and she covered her mouth to prevent a gasp from leaving her mouth.

This was Madara and Koizumi all over again.

"H-He was stabbed, protecting me." Izuna looked up at her, tears flowing down his face, causing them to be red by the time they fell from his cheek. Hideki was Izuna's best friend from when they were all little. The two grew up with him, even though Hideki was more Izuna's friend then Izumi's. But they did almost everything together, they threw their first kunai's together, both became a full-fledged Shinobi together. But to think that Hideki was dead… It must be like hell for her brother right now.

"My eyes…they changed Izumi."

Izumi peered into her brother's (dead-like) eyes. "They look the same to me, what are you talking about?" He shook his head and she watched as his dark brown (almost black) eyes change into the red of the Sharingan.

But his eyes kept on changing; it didn't stop at the three tomoe's like the usual Sharingan. Izumi let out a gasp as she watched his eyes changing into something else.

It was the Mangekyō Sharingan.

* * *

_Two Years Ago…_

* * *

Izumi watched as the life in her brother's eyes returned little by little.

"Hey you two lovebirds, you're making me sick!"

"Oh shut up brat, be happy for us!" Her questionably sane friend shouted out. But soon after she said those things, Kazuyo let out a playful scream as Izuna pulled her into a hug from behind.

"Don't talk to my sister like that!"

"Eh, she's used to that- DON'T DO THAT YOU KNOW I'M TICKLISH!" Izumi let out a laugh as she saw two (out of five) of the most important people in her life bring the life back into each other's eyes as they both tickled each other, which resulted in a kiss not even a minute after.

"Gross, don't do that in front of me!" She shouted out as she covered her eyes. "It's my brother!"

"Oh grow up you baby! When you have a boyfriend, you'll be doing the same!"

"That's only if she ever gets one." Izumi heard her brother whisper.

"Hey!"

"What? It's true!"

"You want me to throw this rock at your head?"

"What?!"

_Thump_

"Goddamn it Izumi, that hurt!"

"That's what you get, my stupid twin."

And for some reason, Izumi felt happier, lighter.

It was almost as if some of the darkness in her heart had disappeared.

* * *

_One Year Ago…_

* * *

Her feet dangled of the edge of the roof as she stared into the night sky.

"Hey Izumi." She turned her head around to see Madara walking towards her.

"Hi Madara." She replied. He sat down next to her and turned his head towards the stars that were shown in the sky.

Izumi didn't really know how to talk to her older brother anymore, after Koizumi's death. It traumatized him to the point where she thinks her brother doesn't want to love anyone in the fear of their death.

"Can't sleep?" Madara asked her. Izumi shook her head. Her dream tonight happened to be a really bad one, something she didn't want to remember again. She laid her head against her 19 year old brother's shoulder.

"Do you think that peace could ever be achieved Madara?" Surprise lit up in his eyes, but Izumi didn't care.

She felt too old; she's seen too much cruelty for someone her age, too much death.

"I honestly don't know." Madara turned his head back up to the sky. "It's a good dream though, having peace." A memory flashed into his head, a 14 year old him talking to Hashirama about the same exact thing.

He smiled at the bittersweet memory. "Peace…"

If only life was that easy.

* * *

_Present Day_

* * *

Izumi sighed and continued walking along the small cliff that stood next to the river. She decided to sit down on a spot that protruded out of the cliff, creating an overhand over the water. She let her hair down and felt the wind flow through her hair, relieving a small portion of her stress.

Many thoughts were running through her heads at that moment. For example, she wanted to take off her armor and her outer clothing and jumping into the river with only her undergarments.

She wanted to walk straight up to her grandmother and call her a bitch.

She wanted to experience her first kiss, her first love.

"Kami, you're overthinking everything Izumi, get it together." She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked over the horizon.

All she wanted was for peace, for this endless war to be over with.

This wasn't such a hard request…was it?

* * *

**A/N:**_ SO HEY GUYSSSSSS_

_Did you like this chapter? Because I know I did Woop woop! It's midnight and I have a shit-ton of homework to do but I was just in a mood, you know? This idea came to my head and I was like "let's do this!" I'll probably regret it in the morning but oh well... My titles always suck and I think this one is by far the worse i've actually come up with. Sadly._

_On to better news, I got so many sweet/cute reviews from you guys! Thank you!_

_Thanks to **silly60, Himeno Kazehito, Loopy, Rigoudon3, Evil E. Evil, PurplePantherOfDoom, Maka lkari, Guest, and True Guardian Angel**! I had to go on Google Translate to basically translate your review Maka lkari, but once i got the translate I was like "Awww, thank you so much!" I try to make her character likable xD_

_So for this chapter's recommendation, I'm going with is **The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight** by **Jennifer E. Smith. **You can probably tell just by reading the title that this is a sappy love story xD But I just love this book and I know that it is in the top five of best books ever read just because I think what happened to the main character in this story is just something so cool and something that I wish would happen to me xD_

_So that's about it! Don't forget to leave a review and to those who haven't follow/fav.!_

_Until next time!~_


	10. Everything changes again

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Fight till the last gasp."**

William Shakespeare _(Henry VI, Part One)_

* * *

**Everything changes again**

Izumi removed her katana from the man's stomach and stood up, her Sharingan revealing no one alive besides the man standing next to her, her own father.

"We need to keep moving, reinforcements could arrive at any moment." Her father announced. After flicking the blood off her katana, she nodded her head.

"Then we should start going, shouldn't we?" Giving Izumi a slight smile, Tajima took one last look around and started running north in the direction of Sandai, the Uchiha's third and smallest compound.

Izumi looked at her father who happened to be running in front of her and noticed how he was favoring his right foot instead of his left. "Father, did someone injure your foot while we were fighting?"

Tajima looked back and noticed worry in his daughter's eyes. "It's fine, I can wait until we rest or get to Sandai."

"…Are you sure?"

"Of course, I've had to survive with worse wounds then this before Izumi, I'll be fine." He teased. Sometimes, Izumi forgets that her father was a warrior, one of the strongest, if not strongest in the Uchiha. He's faced many battles and probably had many wounds and scars from them.

"That was a stupid question then, wasn't it?"

"Probably." Izumi chuckled and focused at the task on hand; deliver the stolen scroll that contained the locations of the Senju compounds. That's probably why her father was personally doing the mission, usually the clan head would stay at the main compound under the protection of the clan. The council did want a bigger group traveling with them, but her father had denied that and made an excuse about how a bigger group would cause more attention.

Izumi secretly thought that her father just wanted to get awake from the paperwork.

She looked around with her Sharingan and wished she had the eyesight her twin had after developing his Mangekyō Sharingan, but at the same time she didn't want to go through the kinds of things Madara and Izuna both had to go through in order to get that Sharingan, despite its strength. Izumi's seen her brothers' train with the Mangekyō together; it was scary to see its power. But every single time they do use it, she always noticed how tired and drained her they are afterwards, and it scared her because somewhere in the back of her mind there a nagging thought that something bad was going to happen.

'_They'll go blind; that is the price to pay for a power that high. It drains the user of its chakra after its use and it weakens the body tremendously._'

Hearing this voice almost caused Izumi to miss her step and trip (good thing she was able to catch herself before that happened). The last time she heard this voice were years ago, during the time that she didn't really like to remember.

"Izumi? Everything okay?"

Izumi quickly looked up and pushed her thoughts and that voice to the back of her mind. "Of course Father, nothing wrong." She answered with a smile.

* * *

Izumi groaned as she massaged her stiff muscles from running all day.

"Out of all things, I think I hate running the most." Tajima looked behind him to look at his daughter.

"Aiko, your mother, hated running too. She always complained on the missions we went on before she gave birth to Madara." He gave a nostalgic laugh. "You're just like her."

Izumi paused. "…Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Tajima shook his head. "You tell me. Is the way I'm talking about her good or bad?"

After giving his question some thought, Izumi answered. "Oh, that's true." She turned to her father and gave him a wide smile. "Thanks!"

'_Just like you Aiko… Just like you. You would be proud of her if you saw her now.'_

"So are we camping here for today Father?"

Tajima turned towards Izumi. "Yes, we'll be staying here for the night." She nodded her head and stood up, her hand containing a kunai.

"I'll go find us some dinner, I'll be back."

"Be careful." She turned towards her father and gave him a loving smile.

"Of course Father, don't worry!" She walked off into the forest, leaving Tajima alone to his thoughts.

In the past five years, his daughter has grown so much stronger; she was almost on par with her twin, Izuna, the only other person in the clan that could train with Madara and not get beaten to a bloody pulp (not that Izuna didn't get beaten up, it just wasn't as bad as some of the others Madara's faced). And the only reason why Izumi was still considered "weaker" than Izuna was because of that Sharingan that only he and Madara possessed. But as Izuna and Izumi got older, Tajima could tell that they both would have raw power similar to Madara's, someone who was considered the strongest Shinobi the Uchiha's ever had. It was always Senju Hashirama that his son would fight against while his other son would fight Hashirama's younger brother Tobirama.

Then there's his daughter, fighting in the side lines when she should be in the front. But Tajima knew that his oldest son was paranoid about losing anybody anymore, it was probably safer for Izumi to be in the back. After all, she didn't possess the same Sharingan that only Madara and Izuna had, and in a way, Tajima was happy about that.

The Mangekyō…

That kind of power that has to come at a price, and at what, Tajima didn't know.

* * *

Izumi was walking through the forest with her hand containing a dead rabbit and her chakra concealed when she heard voices from behind her. Her eyes widened and she jumped up into the tree next to her, making sure that she didn't make any noises. Activating her Sharingan, she noticed a group of men making camp a few feet away from her. She immediately knew that they were following her and her father just because of the clan symbol on their armor.

_Senju_

Mentally cursing to herself, she jumped away, careful to not make even a single leaf on the tree shake. She needed to get to her father, she needed to warn him and make sure that they leave now. As Izumi jumped from tree to tree, she thought that she hadn't been detected, that she had concealed her chakra enough. But she was wrong; there was one person in that group who could sense anything _and_ anyone, the one person she didn't see.

It was a certain white-haired Senju named Tobirama.

* * *

"Father, we need to go now." Izumi hissed out as she landed in front of the camp they made.

Tajima stood up, worried about how tense Izumi was. "What?"

"I just saw a group of Senju men trailing us, we have to go _now._" He nodded and handed Izumi her katana. Sliding her katana in its sheath, she started biting her bottom lip in nervousness.

"All right, let's go." Jumping up to the trees with a chakra powered jump, they both continued their path to Sandai, away from the Senju. They stayed quiet throughout their run, but when both Izumi and her father activated their Sharingan, they could make out five men running towards them, their chakra obviously concealed (but not enough for their kekkei genkai, it could after all, see _everything_).

"Shit!" Izumi cursed. As much as Tajima wanted to scold his daughter for the use of foul language, even he had to admit that they weren't in the best of situations. He would let that word slide.

He turned his head towards his daughter. "Izumi, we can't continue until we finish those men off."

Izumi nodded her head. "Yes, I figured that is what needed to be done." She unsheathed her katana, a weird gleam in her eye. "Let's go meet up with our _dear friends_, shall we?" She said. They dropped to the ground and quickly turned around with their weapons up to face the Senju.

"Get ready Izumi. They've bound to notice our sudden stop."

She nodded her head and tightened her grip on the handle of her katana. Izumi could feel the sudden adrenaline rush, and oh was she excited.

This would probably mean something was _slightly_ wrong with her, but she didn't care, most Shinobi's and Kunoichi's are a little weird in the head like that. Izumi started counting down. '_Three... Two… One…'_

_Clang_

The two Uchiha's and the six Senju's clashed, two on Izumi and four on her father.

Izumi knew that she needed to do first, get rid of at least one Senju, that way it would be a fair fight. She also knew that her father was one of the strongest shinobi was alive in the world right now, so he would probably be fine.

Meeting a highkick with her own, she pushed the Senju with her leg then moved her leg to his chest and used that momentum to jump from it to swing her sword down to the black haired Senju. Although the man raised his kunai to block it, she quickly shunshined away and went through handseals.

"Suiton: Tenkyū!" She kneaded chakra in her stomach and out from her mouth came needle like structures that were made of water.

For some reason, Izumi being able to use Suiton jutsu's without a source of water around her seemed to impress many people (but she didn't know that her mother could do the same exact thing).

The black haired Senju blocked the needles, but the other didn't block all of them in time and three hit his neck, bursting an artery. Seeing this, Izumi could tell that the man was dead (or going to be) so she focused all her attention on the other Senju.

"What is your name, Senju?"

The man scowled, as if he hated being called his last name. "Why do want to know?"

She tilted her head, her eyes flashing with the famed kekkei genkai of her clan. "I would like to know you name because you seem to be strong, someone that I can fight on par with."

The man stayed silent, but was careful to avoid her eyes for the fear of her using the Sharingan to cast a Genjutsu on him. "I'm Yure."

Hearing his name caused Izumi to smile and point her weapon at him. "Well Yure, I am pretty sure you know who I am. But I am glad to have fought a worthy opponent like you." She placed both hands on her katana and with a boost of chakra, ran forward to Yure.

_Clang_

Her katana clashed with his smaller one and Izumi tried to sweep his legs off from the ground, but he jumped back to avoid it. She raised her katana and was about to run forward when she heard a grunt of pain from behind her. She quickly turned her head back to see her father on the ground, his face in pain. Izumi decided to end the fight here and ran towards Yure and looked at him straight in the eye, casting a Genjutsu. When she turned back though, she saw a man (Senju) about to stab her father with his own sword.

"No!" She ran and sent the man away with a chakra powered push, causing him to hit a tree with his back a few feet away. There were only five bodies on the ground, one person was missing. Not that Izumi noticed though.

"Izumi-"

"You'll be okay, the Senju are all either dead or knocked out." She said to him, her hand glowing green with iryo-ninjutsu. But Izumi didn't notice the man that had almost killed her father had sneaking up on her to kill her. Izumi was too focused on trying to save her father.

Tajima's eyes widened and despite his body protesting, he grabbed Izumi's shoulders and switched places with her, him kneeling over her while she laid on the ground. But because Tajima was in this position, it resulting in him getting stabbed.

Right in front of his daughter.

Tajima's blood splattered onto Izumi's armor, a sword sticking out from his own chest. "I-Izumi."

_**A sword sticking out of Katsumi's chest, his eyes flashing red with the Uchiha's famed kekkei genkai.**_

"_**I-Izumi, Run."**_

Her father fell on top of her while the Senju crawled away (slowly) trying to get to the forest.

"No, no no no no!" Izumi carefully placed her father on the ground, moving him from her chest. She was trying to take his armor off to heal him, but Tajima knew that it was too late.

He was going to die.

"Father, please stay with me. All I have to do is remove your armor, I can heal you-"

"Izumi, it's…too late." He opened his eyes to see the tear streaked face of his daughter.

"N-No, I can heal-"

Tajima raised his hand to her cheek. "Stop it Izumi…I know it's…too late." Blood dripped from the side of his mouth.

"But…"

"You have made…me so proud Izumi, my little…sunshine."

A cry came out from Izumi's mouth when she heard her father call her by a nickname that she hasn't heard in about a decade.

"D-daddy, please don't do this-"

The corners of Tajima's lips rose from hearing Izumi call him daddy, a word that she stopped using when she was three.

"I am glad…to have called you…my daughter." He wiped away the tears that were falling fast from Izumi's eyes.

"No no no,!" Tajima closed his eyes and could feel his daughter trying desperately to take his armor off.

"You can't die, what will happen Madara? To Izuna?" Izumi looked at her father's face. "What will happen to me?"

Her father opened his eyes and looked at her. "You need to be-"

_Cough_

He stopped halfway through his sentence, coughing to the point where blood dripped from the side of his mouth. "-You need…to be…strong." Too tired to keep his hand on her cheek, it fell, but Izumi was able to catch it.

"You have…to be strong…for Izuna…for Madara…and for…yourself. Okay?"

Izumi nodded her head as she placed her cheek onto her father's hand.

"I love you…so much. More than you…will ever know." He said, his voice getting weaker and weaker.

"I love you too." She choked out each word, her chest too tight. Her grip tightened on his hand, but it was too late to do anything. Izumi saw the life in her father's eyes fade away, the weak grip of his hand weaken, making it limp.

"No no no no!" She dropped her father's hand and checked his neck for a heartbeat. It had to be there, he wasn't dead. He couldn't be!

But when she checked, there was no bump in his vein.

There was no heartbeat.

…Her father had died.

Izumi let out a bloodcurdling scream, one strong enough to shock the crows in the surrounding trees to fly off. She continued crying and screaming for her father, the man that had raised her, the man that had loved her.

She screamed and screamed, feeling tears and something thicker run down her eyes.

She could feel this…_power_ course through her veins. This uncontrollable _fire_. It was like this black_ flame_ had ignited in her heart.

She screamed and screamed, she could feel everything burning. So much pain, so much heat.

So much darkness.

Everything burned, this _black fire_ burned. Everything has to burn in black.

It _has_ too.

* * *

Izumi slowly groggily opened her eyes, unsure of what had happened. But when she saw the person that she was laying on, she fell backwards, shocked.

Her father? What had happened?

Izumi looked around and saw that there was no trees, no grass. There was a faint smell of something burning, but that was about it. There were things on the ground that looked like wood but she couldn't tell because it was black, like charcoal. Looking a little bit further, Izumi could barely make out five things of black mass on the ground that suspiciously looked like bodies. She looked down and saw that there was a small circle of live grass, unlike the ones a few feet in front of her. She kneeled down to her father's body and checked for a heartbeat, and found none.

"W-What?" Izumi took a step back and looked around, only to see something flickering in the distance. She narrowed her eyes and took a few steps forward. It looked like a flame? She walked towards it and was shocked to see what it was.

It was a black flame, burning with nothing.

The only time Izumi's ever seen this type of fire was when she went on a mission with her brothers. It was when they used their Mangekyō Sharingan. She thought that this type of fire was only available for the ones who had that-

"_**I love you…so much. More than you…will ever know."**_

Izumi clutched her head in pain, her memories overpowering her. She saw herself fighting a Senju, her father getting stabbed.

She saw her father protecting her, telling her to be strong for her brothers.

She saw her father dying.

It causing another burst of pain through her heart and mind, she could feel tears forming in her eyes again.

Then she saw herself igniting a black flame out of nothing, burning everything in its path. Izumi now knew what had happened, what she had done.

"No, I can't have this! I can't!"

And for the second time in less than an hour, Izumi passed out.

* * *

"Wake up." Izumi could hear someone talking to her, but it sounded so far away. She didn't want to wake up; there was too much pain, her father-

"Izumi, you need to wake up." Someone was slapping her cheeks, trying to get her to wake up, to open her eyes.

And so that's what she did, she opened her eyes only to see red eyes, ones different from the Uchiha's Sharingan. But when she blinked, there was no one standing above her, she was all alone, only the smell of a river that didn't seem to belong.

Izumi quickly sat up and realized she was still in the same place she passed out. The only thing missing was the burned bodies and the scroll containing the Senju's compound locations.

"Who the hell..?"

She was so confused, did someone wake her up? Did she really see red eyes? But Izumi realized she had bigger things to worry about. She looked to her left to see the still body of her father and she felt pain pass through her heart.

"Father…" She stood up and took out a body scroll to seal her father in. She placed the unfurled scroll over him and closed her eyes. "…Goodbye." She pushed chakra into the seal mark and she heard the scroll close itself. Izumi opened her eyes and where her father had lay was now a scroll.

She couldn't believe it, her father had died. He had died protecting her and in turn, caused her to activate the one thing she didn't want.

The Mangekyō.

As much as she wanted to cry and ponder over who woke her up, Izumi knew that she needed to get back to the compound, the main one. She grabbed the scroll and placed it in a pocket and jumped away, crying silent tears for the man that had raised her.

But what she didn't notice was the man hiding in the bushes around the burned area.

If Izumi had paid attention, she would have noticed that this man smelled like the river and had red eyes and white hair.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Ba-Bam! This chapter is now over and I feel years younger! This was so hard for me to write, but for some reason I like it too. I hope the last paragraph made sense; I was so tempted to just delete it because of how much I think it sucks. Like, 'ew why would I ever write that' kind of suck. I decided to let it stay just because…I don't know._

_But anyhow, I hope this chapter didn't suck that much! It's the weekend right now and I was like 'yes, free time!' so I finished all of this in about two hours. Not to mention I was able to update In Time too at like the same time! xD_

_Talk about no life. *cough* me *cough*_

_But did you know that I had a totally different ending to this chapter? Of course you don't know, I just told you! But yeah, I did and I just about pulled my hair out because of it. That's how that last paragraph was born!_

_So, for this chapter's book recommendation, I totally TOTALLY recommend reading __**The Passage**__ by __**Justin Cronin**__. This book is like a mixture of the apocalypse, vampires, and experiments. It's a great book, you should totally read it._

_So please leave a review, I want to know if the fight scene was good._

_**Leave a **__**review**__**!**_

_Don't forget to follow/fav.!_

_Until next time!~_


	11. That Fateful Meeting

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Bear patiently, my heart- for you have suffered heavier things."**

Homer (_The Iliad)_

* * *

**That Fateful Meeting**

By the time Izumi reached the Main Compound, it was well past midnight. There was dried blood and tears streaming down from her eyes while she looked…damaged. A few feet away from the gates, the guards realized who it was and started yelling orders at each other.

"It's Izumi-sama, open the gates!

"What about her father?"

"It doesn't matter, open them!" Izumi stood still as she watched the gates open, her hand on the scroll that contained her father.

"Izumi-sama, are you okay?" She took another step forward and fell to her right knee, then to her left. She looked up to see the gate guards looking down at her worryingly.

"The Elders… My brother's… You need to get them; you need to get them both." And with that, she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The guards stood there, unsure of what to do, until the head guard Hiroshi realized what was happening. "You, go and wake up her brother's! And you, go get the Elders!" He then pointed to the newest guard. "Tell the healer to be prepared for a patient!" Hiroshi carefully picked up the Uchiha Matriarch and slowly started walking Etsuko, the clan's main healer. There was just one problem, her house was all across the Compound, and Hiroshi wouldn't use any chakra to get there faster for the fear of hurting Izumi-sama.

* * *

"Etsuko-san, I put Izumi-sama in your care." Hiroshi bowed to the older lady and walked out of the house. Etsuko raised an eyebrow when not even a few seconds after Hiroshi left, Madara and Izuna came storming into the house.

"Manner's boys."

"S-Sorry Etusko-san."

"Is my sister okay?" She stood up and motioned for the two to follow her.

"Your sister is fine, she is just chakra exhausted." Etsuko slid open the door and reveal Izumi sleeping. "I removed her armor and weapons and placed them in the corner over here, but there is a scroll that I had trouble getting out of her grip." She pulled out the scroll and handed it to Madara since Izuna was already at Izumi's side. "I don't know what's in it, but it must be something important." Etsuko bowed at Madara and Izuna. "I shall leave you two alone with your sister." A few seconds of silence passed when Izuna broke it.

"Madara, what's in the scroll?" He asked, still looking at his sister. But Madara never replied. "Madara?" He turned around and was shocked to see tears in his older brother's eyes.

"T-This is a body scroll." Izuna slowly stood up. Madara looked at him, his right hand holding up the scroll.

"N-No."

"F-Father's dead Izuna. He's…gone."

* * *

Izumi's eyes opened and the first thing she saw was a pair of blue eyes looking down at her.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked as she scrambled away, crushing the flowers that surrounded her.

"_Of course you don't remember, I erased your memory._" The blonde lady stood up and dusted off the weird pants she was wearing. "_Over 10 years ago Izumi, that was the last time I actually saw you. My, have you grown._"

Izumi's eyes widened when she recognized the woman's voice. "You have the same voice as the one in my head." The blonde walked over to where she sat and placed both of her hands on her head. "What are you doing-"

**Connie placed her hand on top of her head. **_**"I'll always be in your mind, watching. I'll be the voice in your head protecting you. You won't remember this meeting and we probably won't see each other for a while, but I want you to know that you're the little sister I've always wanted. Maybe even the daughter I could never have."**_

Izumi looked at the blonde, her memories of their meeting restored. "Connie?"

"_Hello Izumi._" She slowly stood up, remembering her four year old self staring at Connie in wonder.

"Why am I here?"

Connie shrugged her shoulders. "_It's probably because you are unconscious; you used up most of your chakra coming back to the compound. Your body is protecting itself by basically shutting everything unnecessary down._" Izumi looked down, remembering what had happened.

"You say you know the future, then why didn't you tell me how my brother's died, how my father died?" Izumi asked. Connie could hear accusation in the girl's voice, and she didn't blame her.

"_I only know the basics, like what will happen to your remaining brothers or what will happen between the Senju and Uchiha. I don't know much about this time period, I only know more of the future._"

"Yet you block those memories from me! I should know what happens to my clan, I should know what will happen to my brothers!"

Connie looked at Izumi, guilt flashing through her eyes. "_I'm sorry Izumi, but that is something I just can't do yet. I promised you that I would give you my memories when you are ready._"

Izumi placed her hand on her chest. "I am ready!"

The blonde shook her head. "_No, you are not._" She sighed and walked over to where Izumi stood. "_You have seen death; you have seen darkness, have you not?_"

"Yes I have."

"_Don't chase after that darkness, don't follow its path. It speaks of vengeance, of pain._"

"…What is so bad about that? The Senju killed my brother, they killed my father." Izumi closed her eyes and turned her head to the side, a tear falling from her eye.

"_Because it will control you to the point of insanity._" The blonde moved Izumi's head to face hers. "_The Uchiha have killed Senju, have they not?_"

Izumi opened her eyes and Connie saw guilt in her eyes. "…We have."

"_Then it is the same. There will always be darkness in life, but there is also light. You my dear, can be that light._"

"I can never forgive the Senju for what they've done-"

"_I'm not saying you need to forgive them Izumi._" Connie moved a part of Izumi's hair behind her ears. "_You just need to accept it._"

"How can I accept when I feel this hatred every single time I think of the Senju?"

"_Dear, think of the good. Who was it that saved you all those years ago?_" Izumi's eyes widened. "_Who was it that awakened you so you wouldn't have to face the Senju that was prepared to kill you after your father's death?_"

"N-No way. It was him?"

"_Yes Izumi, it was._"

"B-But why would Tobirama wake me up? Why would he…save me?"

"_I wouldn't know, but he is an example. He hates the Uchiha for what they've done to his clan, to his family. Yet, he saved you, an Uchiha._" Connie placed both of her hands on Izumi's shoulders and looked at her straight in the eye. "_There is still hope that you can change everything, that you can prevent unnecessary deaths. You are already changing parts of this story._" Connie kissed Izumi on the forehead, as if she was four years old again. "_I think it's time for you to wake up now._"

"…But-"

"_And a word of advice dear, don't use your Mangekyō too much. It'll…damage your eyes._"

* * *

Izumi's eyes fluttered open and the first thing she registered was the yelling coming from outside her room.

"This is why she shouldn't be a Kunoichi! She is the third in line for Clan Head, what good will it do for her if she is dead?" Izumi winced when she heard her grandmother speaking. She stood up and immediately regretted it; she could barely stand on her own. But she toughed it out and started walking towards the kitchen. "I say we marry her off, something my son always said no too."

"You will not-" The voices suddenly stopped when their heads turned towards the deathly pale girl standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"M-Madara?" Izumi asked, her voice hoarse from no use. He pushed passed his grandmother and carefully grabbed his sister's arm and led her to a chair in the kitchen.

"Is there anything you need?"

Izumi shook her head. "Where is Izuna?"

"Your twin brother is on a mission right now girl. He has to be the one to explain to the Hagoromo why we don't have the scroll that contained the Senju Compound locations, and I wonder why we don't have it now Izumi."

"Grandmother, this is not the time for that."

"Not the time? _Not the time_? How _dare-_"

"Will you just shut up? Kami, all you do is moan and bitch about how it's that person's fault or it's my fault!" Izumi snapped to the old lady.

"Excuse me?"

"I understand that you are in mourning over Father's death, I do. I am also sad." Izumi stood up and walked her weak legs to the short lady and poked her in the chest. "But that does not give you the _excuse_ to push all that blame on me." She activated her Sharingan, but didn't stop there; she turned on her Mangekyō. "Father died to protect me and in turn, his death gave me these eyes." Izumi closed her eyes and reopened them, her eyes back to normal.

"Grandmother, I think it's time for you to go home." Madara led the old lady out of the house and when he came back to the kitchen, Izumi was sitting back down on the chair, crying.

"I'm s-so sorry Madara-" Madara kneeled in front of his sister and pulled her into a hug.

"Father's death was not your fault Izumi." At the mention of their father, Izumi started crying even harder. "Please don't blame yourself."

"S-Still… If I had been paying attention, Father wouldn't have switched spots with me-" Madara rubbed the back of her head, trying to get his little sister to calm down.

"You need to calm down Izumi; you've been asleep for over a week." Izumi pulled her head away and looked at Madara, her eyes red from crying and widened from shock.

_Sniffle_

"Over a week? That means they made you the Clan Head already!"

Madara chuckled, despite everything that had happened. "Yes Izumi, that means I'm Clan Head now."

"…How's Izuna doing?"

"He's fine. He took to Father's death better then what I would expect, but I don't know about him." Madara looked behind Izumi to the painting of their family on the wall. "He's like a volcano; he can erupt at any moment."

"Madara…about my Sharingan…" He looked at Izumi's face. "I…I have the Mangekyō now." Madara sighed and stood up, helping his sister to do the same.

"I figured that's what you showed to Grandmother to shock her into silence." He placed his hand on her cheek. "Let me see it."

Izumi nodded her head. Madara watched as she activated her Sharingan and it change from the three tomoe into the Mangekyō. But he gasped in shock when he saw what hers looked like.

"W-What?" Izumi asked, panic in her voice.

Madara shook his head. "Nothing, it's just that Father and I thought that each person's Mangekyō would be different in form, yet…"

"Yet what?" She asked, pulling away from her brother's grasp.

"You have the same exact Mangekyō as Izuna."

* * *

_One Year Later_

* * *

_Splash_

"Kazuyo, be careful! I won't jump down there to help you!" Izumi shouted as she looked down the overhang and into the water.

"Oh shut up you big baby! I'll just get Izuna to come and save me, right?" Izuna looked up from where he sat (next to Izumi) and looked down to see his girlfriend swimming.

"O-Of course!" Izumi looked at her brother in false hurt and scoffed.

"Yeah, that's only if he looks away from whatever book he's reading." Her eyes widened and had a gleam that Izuna knew wasn't good. She looked back down to the river and shouted. "I think he loves that book more than you Kazuyo!"

"What?!" Kazuyo shouted out. Hearing her voice (and her tone) Izuna shot up and dropped his book.

"You may have just ended my life." He took off his clothes and was left in shorts. Shooting his sister a glare, he dove off the overhand and landed in the water. She could hear Kazuyo (playfully) scolding Izuna for loving a book over her, causing Izumi to laugh. She sat down and dangled her legs as she watched the two people she cared about look at each other with so much emotion, with so much love. This caused Izumi to think about her future. Would she ever get married, or have kids? Would there ever be peace in her life?

Would she ever fall in love?

* * *

_One year later_

* * *

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" Izumi watched as the newly trained eight and nine year olds did the Katon jutsu that made them "adults".

"Why won't Madara change the age? I understand that we need new Shinobi, but still." She shook her head. "They're too young."

"But we were the same Izumi." She looked at her twin.

"Yeah, and look at where that led us." Izumi tilted her head back and looked at the clouds in the sky. "I question our sanity sometimes."

"Don't we all?" Izuna said, agreeing with Izumi. She looked back down at the kids that were still continuing with their coming-of-age ceremony.

"Let's go Izuna; I don't want to watch this. It makes me sick." Izumi turned around and walked towards the Elders house, Izuna following closely behind. "Watch the Elders try and marry me off again." She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Stupid."

"Can you blame them for trying? It doesn't look like Madara's ever going to get married again, especially after Koizumi."

"But what about you and Kazuyo?" Izumi pointed out.

"Eh, I can't promise anything, especially if it relates to children."

"Gee, thanks. Leave all the responsibility on me why don't you." Izumi suddenly stopped walking and stood in the middle of the path, Izuna almost bumping into her. "Izuna? Can I ask you something?"

He looked at her, suddenly serious. "…Of course you can."

"…When are you going to grow a pair of balls and ask Kazuyo to marry you-" Izumi was suddenly cut off from a strong push from her brother. "Hey!"

"I thought you were going to ask me something serious there!"

"That _was_ serious! I really _really _want some nephews and nieces!"

"You just want me to get the Elders off your back about marriage and kids."

"Yes!" Izumi head shot forward from her brother's slap to the back of her head. "Ow! Quit hurting me!"

"Kami, you're hopeless." Izuna grabbed his (stupid) twin's arm and started dragging her to the Elder's house. "We need to go, don't want Madara to get mad at us again."

* * *

Izumi suddenly jumped onto her brother's back, causing him to quickly grab her to make sure they both didn't fall. "See, I told you! They asked me to marry Kaki."

"I never said you were wrong."

"Kami, who names their kid after an oyster? That's just sad." Izumi said as she shook her head back and forth. She moved her head to the side of his.

"Technically, his name uses the kanji instead so he's actually named after a persimmon." Izuna pointed out.

Izumi poked her brother's cheek, causing her to earn a glare from him. "It's the same thing; he's still named after a food." Izumi continued poking her brother's cheek. "All this talk about food is making me hungry. Let's go to Kazuyo's, she makes the best riceballs." She shot her hand forward, almost making Izuna loose his balance. "Onward my dear twin brother! We shall dine on delicious sake and riceballs!"

Izuna started walking towards his girlfriend's house. "Maybe you do need a boyfriend, or at least someone to take care of you."

"Why? I have you or Madara or Kazuyo or Hitomi."

"That's not many Izumi."

"Oh well." Izumi could tell that under all that amusement, he was still worried about her. "Stop worrying, I'm serious. I'll be fine." Izumi jumped off of her brother and started walking next to him.

"So how is Hitomi?" Izumi looked up and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know really, we haven't talked much since she moved to Nidai with Fuyuki." She placed her finger on her chin. "In her last letter though, she said she was trying for a baby with him."

"…Oh."

"I think 18 is too young for a baby, but then again, who knows when we're going to die." Kazuyo's house came in sight. "Come on Izuna, your girlfriend is probably waiting for us!" With a boost of chakra, she ran to her best friend's house. "Kazuyo!" Said girl's head popped out of the front door.

"What the hell do you want brat?"

"Make us food!"

"Us?"

"Hey Kazuyo." Izuna said as he finally caught up to his sister. Kazuyo looked at the twins and shook her head. "Come in."

* * *

Kazuyo finished making the riceballs when Izuna suddenly wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"What do you want Izuna?"

"Well, Izumi just left the house, something about needing to go home." Kazuyo cursed at her friend for wasting her time with making food. She turned around and looked at her boyfriend in the eyes.

"So that means we have the house to ourselves…" She smiled naughtily. "Don't we?"

"Yes, but I need to ask you something first." Izuna said. He let go of Kazuyo and grabbed her hands, confusing her.

There wasn't a lot of things that scared Izuna, there was only a few actually. Most of his fears are ones that involved the death of his loved ones. But there was one thing that scared him a lot.

Having his girlfriend say no to marriage.

"_**When are you going to grow a pair of balls and ask Kazuyo to marry you?"**_

Izuna closed his eyes and gripped Kazuyo's hands tighter.

"Kazuyo, will you marry me?"

* * *

Izumi was walking along the river when she felt a sudden burst of happiness, but she didn't know from what. But she pushed that to the side and kept on walking, feeling the river calming her. She walked down to the river bed and found a rock, perfect for skipping.

So many thoughts were going through her head, especially one's about Madara. She rarely saw him anymore, it was always excuses about paperwork or he was just gone on missions. She pulled her arm back and threw the rock. She saw it skip once, twice, three times, and then sink back into the river. She bent down and grabbed another rock. Doing this brought back memories of her older brother doing the same thing, but with another person.

The only thing missing was a Senju.

Izumi threw the stone again and watched it skip all the way across the river until it reached-

"When I thought I would see you again I never thought it would be like this." Izumi's heart skipped a beat when she saw the person who caught the rock she just skipped. She quickly turned to her left and tried running away, but she felt the man tackle her.

"Let me go!" She flipped the man over and raised her arm to punch him, but he in turn flipped her over, causing the two to roll around the riverbank. She suddenly stopped and stared at the man above over her. "What the hell do you want Tobirama?"

"I just wanted to walk along the river; you're the one that interrupted my walk." Izumi pushed him off and quickly jumped away. She raised a kunai that she had kept in her shirt at him.

"Whatever. I'm leaving, don't follow me. I won't hesitate to use a Katon jutsu on you." She knew that this was the perfect opportunity to kill him; he was after all, Hashirama's brother. But somewhere inside, she knew that she wouldn't be able to do it for some reason. If what Connie had said in her dream was right,

That would mean that Tobirama saved her that day, the day her father died.

Izumi jumped away and somewhere deep down, she felt something similar to relief when she sensed him going into the other direction, away from her.

* * *

_One Month Later_

* * *

"Izumi, I'll be fine. It's the same type of mission I always go on with Madara." Izumi fussed with her twin's armor.

"It doesn't matter, I just… It's that today is a day that I don't like for reasons." Izuna pulled her into a hug.

"Don't worry, I'll be back." Giving her brother a squeeze, she pulled away so Kazuyo could say her goodbye. Izumi looked behind her twin and saw Madara standing there, looking at the gates.

Izumi always said goodbye to both her brother's on every single mission and Madara knew it. He would always stand next to Izuna so Izumi could fuss with his armor just like she always did with Izuna.

'_It is the day Father died after all._' Izumi walked towards her older brother. "Madara, are you okay?" Her brother turned his head around and gave her a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Did something happen with the Elders again?"

"No, of course not." But Izumi could see the lie in her brother's eyes. She was kind of relieved that he wasn't being too depressed about today's date.

"What happened?" He sighed.

"It's nothing to worry about; I just got in an argument with Tashiro about today's mission."

"Oh…" Izumi noticed how dark her brother was, so she poked him in the cheek. "Cheer up Madara; you'll be back soon, tales to tell us about how you beat the Senju."

Madara smiled and ruffled his little sister's hair. "Alright, I'll cheer up. That's what you want right?"

Izumi smiled. "You know me so well." Both of their heads turned to the side when they heard another person telling Izuna and Madara they needed to go.

"Well, good luck then Madara." Izuna walked towards them.

"You ready Madara?" Madara nodded and they both turned around to walk away, but not before Izumi grabbed both of their hands.

"Please… Please protect each other out there." The two brothers both gave Izumi's hand a squeeze, Madara on her left and Izuna on her right.

"Don't worry, that's what we always do."

She let go of their hands and started biting her bottom lip in unease. "I love you guys!" She shouted out.

"We love you too!" Izuna answered, also shouting. Izumi watched as the two people she loved more than anything in the world walked away, preparing to go for war.

Just like Izuna said, those two always went on missions like this and came back alive. So that should mean there's nothing to worry.

Then why did she feel like something was wrong, that something bad would happen?

"I can't just stand here and watch them leave." She turned towards her brother's fiancée. "If you need me, I'll be at the river."

"Okay. I'm going to be staying at your house today anyways; I don't want to be at home alone." Kazuyo said to her, still looking at the gate. Izumi nodded her head and jumped away, chakra boosting her legs with speed. By the time she reached the river, Izumi was tired and wanted to take a break at the little overhang that she always stayed at.

Izumi sighed as she sat down, her legs dangling over the river. If she thought about it, the last time she came here was about a month ago when she met Tobirama.

"Father…It's been almost two years since you've passed." She whispered into the wind. She felt a phantom pain in her eyes, like _that_ day. She brought her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes. She could remember that day with perfect clarity, her father's death. Just thinking about it caused tears to form in her eyes.

She was there for an hour when she felt another presence behind her. But Izumi didn't really care; she was too caught up in her grief over her father.

It was after all, the day he had died today.

"What do you want?" She asked out loud, not bothering to turn her head around. But the person stayed silent, just watching her. "You probably think that I'm in such a vulnerable position. You could probably kill me right now." Izumi clutched her legs even tighter as she felt the person walk slowly towards her.

"You are scared."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Izumi whispered.

"But you are also grieving."

"Yes, I am." She turned her head to her left and felt her heart skip a beat again when she saw who it was. "Why are you here Tobirama? Why won't you kill me?"

Tobirama turned his red eyes to her dark brown ones. "Why don't you kill me?" She looked away.

"…I thought you hated the Uchiha."

"Don't you hate the Senju?"

Izumi whirled her head around and narrowed her eyes to Tobirama. "What's up with all your questions?"

Tobirama shrugged his shoulders. "Isn't everything I'm asking the truth though?" Izumi scoffed and looked back towards the horizon. But against her better judgement, Izumi decided to ask the question that was on her mind for years.

"Why did you save me that day Tobirama?" She looked at him and saw shock in his eyes. He didn't reply to her question immediately, he stayed silent for about a minute.

"…You showed me that I was wrong about how I thought about the Uchiha."

* * *

**A/N: **_Well, I know I just updated yesterday, but I saw the amount of followers this story gained and I just felt like crying._

_Thank you guys so much, I'm at 100 followers and I was just so shocked. It literally makes me want to cry! ESPECIALLY THE REVIEWS, WHY DO YOU GUYS DO THIS TO ME?!_

_And not to mention I'm like on a story typing roll right now, I have all these emotions that I want to give out and like scream about but I can't? I hope that made any sense. But I hope you guys liked this chapter! I worked pretty hard on it and I hope it also made sense!_

_I recommend __**Red Queen**__ by __**Victoria Aveyard**__. It's a great book if you like stories that include powers!_

_Please leave a review and don't forget to follow/fav.!_

_Until next time!~_


	12. Injury

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.**

**Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."**

Martin Luther King, Jr.

* * *

**Injury**

Despite telling herself that she was just going down to the river for the peace and quiet, Izumi knew deep down that she was going because she was intrigued by a certain white-haired Senju. It didn't start out like that first, after she met Tobirama that day she went back the next just because she couldn't stand being at the compound without both of her brothers.

Of course, Izumi just _happened_ to meet Tobirama again. She was still wary about him; after all, he was a Senju. But she was pretty sure that it went both ways. But after meeting him for a week, she slightly put down the walls she built.

_Slightly_.

"Hello Izumi." She looked up from her usual spot by the overhang and gave Tobirama a small smile.

"Hello Tobirama." She felt him sit next to her and they didn't say anything. This was their usual thing; they would sit next to each other and watch the horizon until it was time to go. But today Izumi brought something with her, she brought riceballs. She unwrapped the cloth around the food to reveal four riceballs, two small and two large. It was almost as if she was going to give some to Tobirama. Izumi picked up the largest one and handed it to Tobirama.

"Do you want it?" She saw Tobirama eyeing it, causing her to laugh. "It's not poisonous if that's what you're wondering."

Tobirama gave her a guilty look and took it from her hand. "Thanks."

"No problem." And with that, they were both enveloped in a comfortable silence.

* * *

_Second Week_

* * *

It was getting even hotter and hotter as the days passed by, and Izumi _hated_ it. She liked winter and its freezing temperature; she sure didn't like summer with its heat. But she sucked it up and sneaked out of the compound like usual while she walked through the peaceful forest, carrying a bag of riceballs. This became like a thing for them, Izumi would bring four riceballs, the two small ones for her and the two large ones for him. They would eat it and just stare off into whatever they were looking at and stay silence.

By the time she reached the river, whatever happiness she had earlier was gone. She was drenched with sweat and her hair was plastered onto her face and neck. Maybe she should just chop of her hair; it would sure make her life hell of a lot easier. Izumi looked up to already see Tobirama sitting at their usual spot, looking unfazed by the temperature.

"Tobirama, how are you not hot wearing all of," Izumi motioned her hands up and down his body. "That?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just not hot."

"Lucky." Izumi muttered. She sat down next to Tobirama and stared at him, obviously unnerving the white-haired man.

"Yes…?"

"How old are you?" She suddenly asked.

"I'm 21." He answered.

"Oh, you're three years older than me."

Tobirama looked at her. "You're 18?"

Izumi nodded her head and smiled. "Yup. I turned 18 on February 10th, along with my brother."

"Huh, my birthday is on the 19th of February."

"That's a cool coincidence."

"I guess it is."

* * *

_Third Week_

* * *

"I wish I could go swimming in that river." Izumi said and she looked down sadly at the river.

"Why don't you?" Tobirama asked.

Izumi looked at him, incredulous. "Does it look like I have the right clothes to go swimming?"

"Oh, that's true."

"For someone so smart, you have like no common sense." She said, teasingly.

Tobirama shot her a glare. "That's not a very nice thing to say to someone."

Izumi shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "Oh well!" She stood up and walked to the edge of the overhang. "All this water is tempting me. Damn it, I should've brought my swimming clothes!" Taking one last look at the water, she turned around.

But of course, she just _had_ to lose her balance and start falling backwards.

Tobirama quickly shot up and grabbed her arm, but she was already too far back, she ended up pulling Tobirama towards her into the river.

_Splash_

Izumi felt the sudden shock of cold with the water, but was soon comforted by it. This was _home_, this feeling of weightlessness, the cold surrounding her body. Izumi could even feel the little bubbles rising all around her from her unexpected plunge.

It's so ironic, she comes from a clan that loves fire, yet she loves the total opposite: water.

She opened her eyes, only to see Tobirama staring at her and then pointing to the surface. As much as she didn't want to leave, she nodded her head and swam up. As her head popped out into the surface, she gasped for air and could hear Tobirama doing the same. She swam to the side of the river to get out, Tobirama following closely behind.

"I'm sorry!" She said as she got out of the river. Izumi mentally cursed, she couldn't go back to the compound wet, it would make people question where she's been.

"It's okay." He looked at Izumi and gave her one of his rare smiles. "I was hot anyways." She laughed and went behind a tree to change. Because it was the summer, her wet clothes would be dry by the time she went home. Of course, she would keep on her undergarments, but her shirt, pants, and shoes could come off.

As Izumi walked out from behind the tree, her eyes widened from what she saw and froze.

Tobirama had his shirt off, revealing a broad shoulder and a slim waist going down to his undergarments in a v shape. His sculpted arms and chest were rippling with every move he made as he wrung the water from his shirt. He sported a six pack with a chest and abdomen that Izumi knew that had to be hard from the years of training to be a shinobi.

She was beyond shocked, she was so embarrassed! Izumi was even surprised at her own reaction; she was acting as if she's never seen a shirtless man before. She always saw men in her own clan shirtless; in fact, she saw it all the time when they trained together. But Izumi never cared; she never got this embarrassed of seeing something like this. Yet, seeing Tobirama without a shirt on caused her to feel some emotions she's never felt before, like butterflies in her stomach.

Tobirama sensed Izumi behind him and turned around, only to be slightly shocked to see her flustered. Her face was flushed with red all the way down to her neck, revealing how embarrassed she was of something. His eyes traveled a little bit lower-

Okay, never mind, his eyes needed to go back up to her face.

"Everything okay Izumi?"

"W-What? Of c-course everything's fine!" Izumi said, her voice more high pitched than usual. She avoided his eyes and after placing her wet clothes on the ground to dry, she quickly jumped into the water.

Tobirama was quite confused, what had just happened?

* * *

_Fourth Week_

* * *

Tobirama saw Izumi walking towards him, a happy grin on face.

"Hello Izumi."

"Hey Tobirama-" She suddenly gasped in pain and grasped her abdomen, dropping the bag she was carrying. Tobirama shot up from where he was sitting and ran to her worried.

"Izumi?"

"T-The pain." She said in between the little gasps of pain she was having. What was happening to her?

"Hey, Izumi, what's wrong?"

Izumi was shaking her head. "I d-don't know." The pain suddenly dulled down, now only throbbing. She pulled her shirt up to see if she was cut or anything, but there was nothing. Only her smooth pale skin was showing, no cuts, no bruises, _nothing_. "Huh, that was weird…"

"Maybe you should go back to your home, you're still in pain right?"

"Yeah but-"

"Go home Izumi, I would feel better if you weren't in pain." Tobirama said, interrupting her. Hearing this, Izumi didn't understand why she was feeling her heart race.

"Oh? Is that a little bit of worry I'm hearing?" Izumi teasingly asked as she poked his cheek. She saw him glare at her, but she knew he didn't really care if she touched him, if he did Tobirama would've have stopped her hand from going anywhere near his face. "If it worries you that much then, I'll go home."

"Thank you." Izumi gave him a smile and walked back down the cliff onto and into the forest. She looked back and saw Tobirama standing in their usual spot, watching her leave. Izumi continued walking into the forest, the dull ache in her stomach confusing her.

* * *

_The Next Day_

* * *

Izumi couldn't sleep at all last night, she felt that something was wrong and not to mention the pain in her abdomen was getting worse. At one point it got so bad to where Kazuyo had to take her to the Healer's house.

"Izumi, what did you do?" Kazuyo asked her friend.

She was wincing from the pain. "I didn't do _anything_, this pain just popped out of nowhere." Her legs suddenly gave out from underneath her as she gasped in pain.

"Goddamn it Izumi, what the hell is wrong with you?" Kazuyo picked Izumi up and rushed her to Etsuko's house.

"Etsuko? Etsuko?!"

"What do you want girl?" The old lady said, her voice rough from sleep.

"Izumi's in pain and we both don't know what's wrong!"

"Alright, follow me and put her where I tell you too." Etsuko opened the door and let Kazuyo (who was carrying Izumi) in and pointed to a couch in her living room. "There."

She nodded and placed her best friend onto the cushions and took a step back, looking at the healer worryingly.

"Let's see what's wrong, now shall we Izumi?" Etsuko kneeled down and pulled up the girl's shirt. She furrowed her eyebrows and started pushing her stomach.

"Does this hurt Izumi?"

"Yes it does! Yes!"

"Hmm… I can't feel anything wrong with it." She concentrated on her hand and in a few seconds there was a green glow surrounding it, revealing iryo-ninjutsu. Etsuko's hand moved over Izumi's entire abdomen.

"Well?" Kazuyo asked, biting her bottom lip.

"There's nothing wrong." She stood up. "I don't know what's happened but I say let her stay here for the night. You're welcomed to stay too." Etsuko walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a small bottle containing liquid. "This'll help her sleep." She walked over to where Izumi lay and opened her mouth to drop a few of the liquid in.

Within a few seconds Izumi was knocked out, fully asleep.

* * *

"_Izumi, wake up!_"

"No…"

"_Goddamn it Izumi, get up!_" Izumi opened her eyes and saw a worried Connie looking down at her.

"Well, I haven't seen you in years."

"_Two to be exact. But we're not here to talk; I need to tell you something_." Izumi stood up and looked at the blonde.

"What?"

"_I was keeping this from you because I didn't think it was time yet, but with the pain your feeling in your stomach this is too much of a coincidence._" Connie walked up to Izumi and placed her hands on her head.

**Izumi saw Madara and Izumi fighting the two Senju brothers, Hashirama and Tobirama. Madara was fighting Hashirama, his Mangekyō flashing red while Hashirama managed to keep in par with him. On the other side Izuna was fighting Tobirama and Izumi's eyes widened from what she saw.**

**Tobirama had stabbed her twin brother.**

**Madara screamed for Izuna and ran for him, Hashirama forgotten. Izuna was clutching the right side of his stomach, which happened to be the same place that Izumi was feeling pain in.**

Izumi pulled away from Connie's hands and looked at her, tears in her eyes. "W-What was that?"

"_I just showed you your twin brother's death._"

"N-No!"

"_Or, what _was_ your brother's death._" Connie ran her hand through her short hair. "_Something changed; I don't think your brother is dying by Tobirama's hands anymore._"

"Wait a second, who says he's dying-"

"_Think about it Izumi, the pain in your stomach was the exact place Izuna was stabbed in._" Connie rubbed her hands against her eyes. "_I don't even know what's canon anymore, I don't know if anything that _is_ supposed to happen will happen anymore._"

"Wait, so you're telling me that Izuna's dying? That something happened to him?"

"_Yes. I was going to warn you when I thought it would actually happen, but it seems that I'm…wrong._"

"Fuck… I need to wake up, I need to get someone o-or go find them."

"_Izumi, they're already on their way back already. Your brother's probably alive, but for how long, I don't know._"

"I need to wake up Connie, I need to _now_." Connie looked at her and Izumi could see guilt and sadness in the blonde's eyes.

"_Then wake up._"

* * *

Izumi shot up and looked around to see where she was. The last memory she had was-

"Ah!" Her hand shot to her stomach and she could feel excruciating pain coming from the exact spot from earlier. There was a sudden rustling sound and Izumi looked to her left to see Kazuyo waking up.

"Izumi? Are you okay?"

"N-No, something's wrong with Izuna."

After hearing her fiancé's name, Kazuyo looked more alert. "What do you mean?"

"I mean-"

_Gasp_

Izumi clutched her stomach in pain. "I m-mean, something's happened to him." She stood up and grabbed Kazuyo's shirt. "Take me to the front gate, please."

"I don't think you should be moving…"

"Just take me there!"

* * *

Kazuyo was helping Izumi stand when she heard one of the gate guards start screaming out orders.

"It's Madara-sama! Open the gates!"

"Izuna... Please be safe…" Izumi whispered to herself. She watched the gates slowly open and could see a faint outline of a familiar body. But something looked different…it was as if he was carrying something, or _someone_.

"Healer! Get Etsuko!" Madara was screaming out. One of the guards heard this and without a second thought he ran off to find the healer.

"Why would Madara need a healer?" Kazuyo asked.

"…It's not for him." Izumi answered, feeling faint. As soon as her brother came running in through the gate, she could tell that Connie had been right.

On her brother's back was Izuna, deathly pale and his face scrunched up in pain.

Madara continued running towards Etsuko's house. He knew that Izumi would follow him, so he wasn't worried when he didn't stop to say something. But what Madara didn't know was that the moment he was out of earshot, Izumi started screaming.

"It hurts, oh Kami it hurts!" She screamed again and passed out.

* * *

As Izumi became aware of her surroundings, she could tell that whatever pain she was in earlier was gone. She slowly opened her eyes, only to be shocked by seeing her older brother sitting next to her futon crying.

"Madara?" She asked as she sat up.

"Oh Kami Izumi, I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." He said over and over again, causing her to worry even more."

"What happened?" He looked at her and Izumi could see that his eyes were bloodshot, probably from all the crying he was doing.

"C-Can you walk?" Izumi was unnerved from hearing her older brother's voice; she's never heard him like this. He seemed so frail…so scared.

She nodded her head and stood up, her brother doing the same. He slide open the door to her room and walked out, Izumi following closely behind. He stopped in front of a door that Izumi knew too well.

It was Izuna's room.

Madara avoided her eyes and slide open the door, revealing her twin brother laying in a futon. She slowly walked into his room, not believing what she saw. Her brother was wrapped in bandages and was pale, too pale to be healthy.

"Etsuko-san said that there's infection setting in where he was stabbed and that this was beyond what she could do, what any of us could do."

Izumi whirled around, tears streaming down her face. "N-No, don't say it…"

"I'm so sorry Izumi… He's going to die."

* * *

**A/N:**_ I'm so cruel, aren't I? I'm always leaving my chapters with cliffhangers and I don't mean to do them! I swear! I just think that that's the perfect place to end the chapter so I can continue it with the next one! So to clear things up, Tobirama did not kill/injure Izuna; it was a different Senju person._

_Just to say, I don't like the way I wrote the bottom half of this chapter, I actually had to rewrite it a bunch of times. But the one written here is actually the best so…_

_I recommend either __**Origin**__,__** Vitro**__,__or __**Kalahari**__ which are all written by the same author __**Jessica Khoury**__. I put all three books because they're technically a series, but you don't really _have_ to read the first book (Origin) in order to understand the entire story because each book has a new story and a new main character(s). There's only one thing that actually connects the story together, but that's about it._

_So there you go! Leave a review and don't forget to follow/fav.!_

_Until next time!~_


	13. Izuna

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"_Hey brother! Do you __still believe in one another?_

_Hey sister! Do you still believe in love I wonder?_

_Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do."_

**Hey Brother **by **Avicii**

* * *

**Izuna**

Izumi was wiping Izuna's face with a wet towel when she heard the door slide open.

"Hey Kazuyo."

"…How is he?" She asked in a tired voice.

"He's burning up with a fever." Izumi moved her hand away from the towel and stood up to look at the window. "I've tried everything. I tried healing him with my iryo-ninjutsu but

it didn't work." She clenched her hands into fists, her face hidden by her hair.

"Izumi…"

"I don't understand." Izumi placed her hands against the wall. "I don't understand! Fate's already taken away my brothers, my father!" She raised her fist and slammed it against

the wall. "Why Kazuyo? Why?!" Her fist was raised again and this time, she punched the wall with chakra, resulting in the room to shake from the force of the punch.

"I'm frustrated too Izumi-"

"No, you don't understand! He's my twin, _my other half! _I don't know what I'm supposed to do if he's gone!" Izumi took a shaky breath and took a step back.

"You think you're the only one grieving?" Kazuyo walked up to her and grabbed the front of her shirt. "I love him just as much as you do. Sure, I don't know what it's like to lose a

twin, but I'm about to lose the man that I love." Izumi pushed her away and walked towards the door.

"You don't understand after all… You'll never understand." And with that she walked out of the room. Izumi didn't want to stay in the compound; all of her clanmembers would stare at her in pity and sadness. No, there was only one place she could go.

The river.

Izumi was breathing hard by the time she reached the river; she did run there after all. She looked around and noticed that Tobirama wasn't around, even though she was slight disappointed about it she continued running to the overhang. When she reached it tears were falling freely from her eyes and Izumi didn't even bother hiding the sound of her crying.

"Why?! Why?!" She screamed into her hands. Her heart was breaking into two and it was so painful. Izumi clenched her chest, as if in pain. She fell to her knees and screamed.

"Izumi?" Her head shot up from hearing Tobirama's voice. "Are you okay?" She wiped her face and started fixing her clothes.

"Hi Tobirama." He walked over to where she was sitting at and froze.

He wouldn't say it out loud but looking at her he noticed that Izumi was a mess, her eyes were swollen and red and she had dark circles under eyes from what had to be a lack of sleep.

"…You know how it's like to lose someone close to you…right?" She suddenly asked. He slowly sat down and thought about her question_._

"Yes, I've lost members of my family." (_Itama, Kawarama, his father, his mother.)_

"My brother's dying, my _twin_." Just saying this caused tears to form in the corner of Izumi's eyes. "A-And we can't do anything about it, his stab wound is too serious. T-There's infection setting into it and his body's too weak to fight it off." She raised her hands to her face to hide it. "What am I supposed to do Tobirama? No one can heal

him, our iryo-nin's _can't_. I c-can't live without him, I wouldn't know what to d-do." She was sobbing by the time she finished talking Tobirama was left speechless. He didn't know what to do; he wanted to comfort his friend-

(Wait, she wasn't a friend; she was a…acquaintance, yeah, that's the word. She can't be a friend; she's an _Uchiha_ for Kami's sake… Right?)

"I'm scared Tobirama… I'm so scared…" Hearing her broken voice caused something in Tobirama to snap. Without a second thought, he moved his arm around Izumi and pulled her into his arms. She needed this, to be comforted. He may not be the help she needed, but he would do as much as he could to help the girl sobbing in his arms. He moved them up and down in a comforting motion on her arms (she was so small compared to him; it was almost like she disappeared in his arms and chest when he held her). But Tobirama knew that what he did was the right thing when she gripped the front of his shirt and cried into it.

They were there for about an hour when Izumi finally calmed down enough to start talking again.

"T-Thank you, I guess I just needed someone to give me a hug." Izumi said with a sniffle. Why wasn't she better at iryo-ninjutsu? There was no one else in the clan to save him and it's not like she could go to another clan… Wait.

"T-That's it!" She turned around and gripped Tobirama's shoulders. "The Senju are well known for their iryo-ninjutsu, can you heal him? Can't you heal my brother?"

His eyes widened from her sudden question. "Oh." He breathed out. "I'm sorry Izumi but I can't use iryo-ninjutsu like that, I can only heal minor wounds, nothing serious." His brother on the other hand could heal near fatal or fatal wounds without batting an eyelash.

The belief of her brother's survival faded from her eyes in its place was hopelessness.

"…Oh." She said, dejected. Her hands slowly fell from his shoulders and looked away. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid question." She turned around and started walking away, her voice lacking emotion. "I think I should start heading back, my older brother's going to wonder where I am. Bye Tobirama." The moment Izumi took a step forward she felt Tobirama grab her hand.

"Come back here tomorrow. I'll try to find something to help with your brother's wound. We hold many ointments and medicines for stuff like that."

"Really? You'll do that for me?" Tobirama could hear a slight raise in her voice, causing his eyes to soften.

"It's the least I can do."

* * *

_The Next Day_

* * *

Izumi groggily opened her eyes as she remembered where she was. She was in Izuna's room, making sure that he was okay.

Well, as okay as he could be.

Noticing that her throat was parched, Izumi stood up and made sure her brother was sleeping so she could go get a drink of water from the kitchen. Sliding open the door, she quietly walked down the hallway and noticed that her older brother Madara was already in the kitchen doing something.

She greeted him. "Hey Madara." He turned around and she noticed something was off with his stare. He was looked at her, but at the same time it didn't look focused on

her. "Are you okay?"

"Of course, why?" She narrowed her eyes and moved her hand to the kunai in her pocket.

"You're lying." She wrapped her hand around the hilt of the kunai and suddenly threw it at him. Madara activated his Sharingan and moved to the side to avoid the kunai.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"You just confirmed my thoughts." She walked towards him and placed her hands against the side of his head to look at him in the eye. "You can't see very well."

"What? Of course I can-"

"If you could, you wouldn't have to use your Sharingan to avoid that kunai. What's happening Madara?"

He stayed silent and pulled away from her hands. "Nothing's wrong Izumi."

"It's the Mangekyō, isn't it? Overusing it is causing your eyesight to deteriorate."

"...Izumi it's fine-"

"Damn it, why didn't you say anything earlier?"

He ran his hand across his face. "Because I didn't want you to worry. We have bigger things to worry about than my eyes right now."

Izumi sighed and walked past her brother to the sink. "...Alright. Well, can you or Kazuyo watch Izuna for a little? I need some time to myself." She gripped the edge of the sink and closed her eyes. She prayed to Kami that Tobirama had found something, _anything_, to help with her brother's wound.

Without saying anything else, she left the house and went straight into the woods towards the river.

When she reached the river, she saw Tobirama already waiting for her, putting a smile to her face.

"Tobirama!" Izumi shouted out. She hurryingly ran to the overhang but when she saw Tobirama's face, her smile disappeared and she slowed down to a walk.

"I'm sorry Izumi." He clenched and unclenched his hands.

"…It's okay." She looked back up and noticed that Tobirama looked…conflicted? "Is everything okay?"

"My brother…" He took a deep breath. "He caught me looking for the medicine and started questioning me because…um…he knows that whenever I am wounded, I go to him to get it healed. So he immediately turned suspicious and I…" He trailed off. But Izumi guessed what had happened.

"…You told him didn't you?" He winced and turned his head to the side.

"I'm so sorry Izumi, I didn't mean to."

"Did he say anything about it?"

"Well-" He suddenly froze and looked at something behind her.

"Yes, I told my little brother that I would heal your twin." Izumi's eyes widened and by reflex she activated her Sharingan and whirled around. She felt fear creep up on her when she saw the person standing in front of her; it was a man with long brown hair and was at least half a foot taller than her.

Senju Hashirama.

"Brother? What are you doing here?" Tobirama asked. He moved to stand in front of Izumi. "How did I not sense you?"

"Are you really going to ask me that Tobirama?" Hashirama started laughing. "And I had been wondering where you were going all the time and it was to see a pretty lady." He turned his eyes to Izumi and smiled. "You must be Madara's youngest sister right? I'm Hashirama."

Her eyes widened from shock. This was Hashirama? The man that was as strong- if not stronger than her brother? "I-I'm Izumi."

"Well, I kind of cornered my little brother into telling me why he needed antibiotic ointment. I'm pretty sure you didn't want anyone to know to know about your brother and for that, I am sorry." He said, looking quite apologetic. Seeing this, Izumi deactivated her Sharingan and loosened her muscles.

"It's fine, but what did you say earlier?"

"I know that the Uchiha are not that good at iryo-ninjutsu, and I am willing to heal your brother." He suggested. Despite that being exactly what she needed, Izumi knew that there was a hidden motive behind the healing.

"You want something in return."

He opened his eyes and Izumi knew she had been right. "Of course I do."

"What is it?" Izumi demanded. She would do anything for Izuna, even if it meant betraying her clan.

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad." Hashirama walked towards her and gently pushed Tobirama aside. "All I've ever wanted is for peace for our clans. Madara seems to have forgotten that dream, but I haven't."

"Hashirama-"

"Please give this to your brother." He placed a scroll in her hands and smiled at her. "If he agrees to peace between our two clans, then I _personally_ will heal your brother."

* * *

As Izumi walked back to the compound, she looked at the scroll in her hands.

Peace, that all she's ever wanted. She didn't want to see children or loved ones dying. She's seen things that most people shouldn't have at her age. Izumi was so tired; all she wanted was this pointless war to be over.

This scroll in her hands? It could be the answer to her prayers.

"_**What will I tell my brother? I can't just walk up to him and tell him I was meeting with Tobirama."**_

"_**Tell him that you just happened to see me at the river and that I knew about your twin. There shall be no mention of my little brother."**_

She gripped the scroll tighter and saw that her house was only a few feet away.

This would save her brother and her clan. It was for the better good.

She pushed opened the front door and saw that her brother was alone in the kitchen.

"Madara."

He looked up and smiled. "Izumi, how was your walk-"

"It doesn't matter, read this." She pushed the scroll into his hand.

"What is this Izumi?" He asked as he looked at the Senju symbol on the scroll.

She took a deep breath and braced herself. "I was walking along the river and Hashirama was doing the same thing at the same time. I tried to run away but he mentioned Izuna and I…I listened to what he had to say." She made sure to sound angry and scared. "Just read the scroll, please." She pleaded as she sat down in the chair across from Madara's.

He scowled but listened to her. He opened the scroll and the two were surrounded by silence for a few minutes as he read it.

"No."

Izumi's eyes widened and she stood up, pushing the chair behind her. "What do you mean no?"

"There is no possible way that we can have peace between the Senju and Uchiha." Madara said calmly.

Izumi slammed her fist against the table and leaned towards her brother. "He is willing to heal Izuna! We should just agree to the treaty!"

"I am not agreeing to this and that is final. We are trying everything to heal Izuna; we don't need to stoop so low as to get another clan to heal him."

"What the fuck Madara?" Izumi pointed to the scroll. "This will _save _Izuna! Have you forgotten? Izuna and I are the only two left of _your_ _family_!"

"_Because of them!_ They killed Arata, _our_ _father_, do you not remember?!"

"And we've killed Hashirama's family! _Four _of them! You don't see him screaming that at the top of his lungs!" Izumi felt tears run down her face. "Please Madara, I _need_ Izuna, don't you see? I don't know what I would do without him! Can't you see that?"

"…Leave. I need time to think about this."

"Madara-"

"I'll think about it again so just leave Izumi." Listening to her brother, Izumi walked out of the kitchen and into Izuna's room.

"Is everything…okay Izumi?" She looked at her brother and saw that he was awake.

She walked towards his futon and kneeled down. "I'm sorry, did we wake you up?"

"It's…alright. What happened?"

"We may have found a way to heal you, but Madara's too stubborn to realize it."

Izuna closed his eyes. "There's…no point. I am about…to die, and I know…it."

"Izuna-"

"Promise me that…you won't get mad…at Madara."

"For what?"

"…He is getting…my eyes." Izumi's eyes widened. "He's…told you about…how he can't see. By giving him…my eyes, he'll…be able to see…again."

"Izuna-"

"It's the…last gift…I can give him. I have…a gift for you…but you won't…be getting it until…later."

"Please don't talk like you're going to die, you might survive!"

"I know…I won't Izumi…"

"But…"

"I love you Izumi…please don't…forget that."

Izumi felt a tear fall from her cheek, causing her to clutch onto her brother's hand. "I love you to Izuna, more than you would ever know."

* * *

_One Week Later_

* * *

Izumi's legs dangled over the overhang while the wind flowed through her long hair, letting her feel the wind brush against her scalp. She felt as if the weather was mocking her, it should have been raining or thundering, it should have been cold. But no, it was the total opposite. The sun was shining, there were no clouds in sight, the air was cool.

Yet, this was the only place where she could feel at peace despite everything happening.

It was His funeral, and they weren't there. Madara was recovering from the transfer, so he couldn't have gone. Izumi was too grief stricken to go, it took all her willpower just to get out of bed today.

"Izumi?" She didn't bother turning around to see who it was because she already knew. He didn't bother to hide his presence while coming here and she already knew his voice.

Izumi balled her hands into fists. "He's gone." She said. "Madara was too late to agree with the treaty. Not like it would have mattered, Madara burned the scroll the moment he found out." She felt Tobirama sit next to her but she kept her eyes shut. "…I'm so lost; I don't know what to do without him." She whispered, almost inaudible. "I still feel as if he is still here, as if he was next to me, laughing." Images of her getting into fights with Him or getting carried on his back flashed through her mind. So many memories of them together bombarded her until one caused her to break.

It was Izuna giving her an honest smile, one full of joy and love.

Izumi opened her eyes and looked to her left to see the red eyes of a man that she had gotten used too. There was so much warmth…so much understanding. "Tobirama…" She choked out. She could feel the tears about to overfill the brim of her eyes.

That's why Izumi was shocked when she suddenly felt arms around her and a chest against her face. Tobirama's arms tightened around her.

She clenched her eyes shut and leaned against his chest. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his body and gave in to the warmth that he was emitting, causing the tears in her eyes to fall.

"He's gone forever…Izuna's gone…" She said into Tobirama's shirt as she cried.

The one person who probably knew her more than Izumi knew herself was gone forever, leaving behind a devastated twin sister, a shocked older brother, and a heartbroken fiancée that held a secret.

* * *

**A/N:** _This chapter was VERY VERY angst, and for that, I don't apologize (hehe). I hope you at least enjoyed this chapter, because I know I was about ready to rip my hair out with that last paragraph. I was so conflicted, I was like "Should I let Izuna live?" but then at the same time I was like "Izuna needs to give his eyes to Madara because of things" so I decided for him to die._

_Sorry, but not so sorry._

_I know I should be asleep but I felt that I should at least finish this chapter and update it because I had the weekend but didn't do that. (I told myself that I would finish this by Saturday, but guess who was wrong? Me.)_

_I can't say that this was one of the good chapters I've written, but it can't be that bad. I hope. *Tear*_

_**Ink**_ _by __**Amanda Sun**_ _is this chapter's recommendation! I thought that this was an interesting story because instead of the typical Greek or Egyptian Mythology stories wrapped around modern times, it was a Japanese Mythology one. Don't find many like this one (sadly)._

_So leave a review and a follow/fav. if you haven't!_

_Until next time!~_

**Uchiha**

Izumi: **18 years old, 5ft 7in**

Izuna: **18 years old, 5ft 9in**

Madara: **22 years old, 5ft 11in**

Kazuyo: **20 years old, 5ft 6.5in**

**Senju**

Hashirama: **22 years old, 6ft 1in**

Tobirama: **21 years old, 6ft**


	14. New Experiences

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**A great sorrow and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don't get to choose our own hearts. We can't make ourselves want what's good for us or what's good for the other people. We don't get to choose the people we are."**

_Goldfinch _written by Donna Tartt

* * *

**A New Experience**

* * *

**_July_**

_One month after Izuna's death_

* * *

When Izumi woke up, the first thing she felt was pain, pain in her heart and in her mind. Life was so dull; there was no enjoyment in it anymore. Everything was black and white, the food was dull and jokes didn't make a lasting impression like before. Izumi wanted to just stay in her bed and not wake up, stay in the false images of her dreams where her whole family was alive, that there was no war that was killing children left and right.

But no, that wasn't reality and as much as she wished it to be, Izumi knew that it wasn't.

She slowly pushed the blanket off her body and stood up. Walking over to the mirror to brush her hair, she finally noticed the state she was in. A month of staying holed up in the house without seeing the sun seemed to have taken its toll on her. Her skin was pale and her hair was limp, not carrying the old shine and volume it had before while her eyes looked dead with dark bags under them.

Izumi wasn't her old self and she knew it, but she didn't have it in her heart to change. There was no point.

"Izumi?" Startled, she turned around and saw Kazuyo standing by her door, a worried look on her face.

"Oh, hey Kazuyo." She gave her a fake smile. "I'm going to the kitchen." Izumi walked down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Izumi, I need to talk to you."

"Just let me get some water." Izumi pulled out a glass and placed it under the faucet, the water running. She turned around, her cup full. "What do you need to talk about?"

"M-Maybe you should sit." Kazuyo suggested. Looking at her friend, Izumi finally realized how much Izuna's death had affected Kazuyo too, her skin was pale and she had dark bags under her eyes, just like Izumi's.

"It's fine." She took a sip of water. "What do you need to talk about?" Izumi saw Kazuyo take a deep breath and when her friend opened her eyes, under the grief and anger in her stare, there was…joy.

"…I'm with a child." Izumi's eyes widened and her grip on the glass faltered, causing it to fall to the ground and shatter which spilled the water in it. Maybe she should have sat down like Kazuyo had suggested, but it was too late now. She stayed silent as she stepped over the mess and walked to Kazuyo, who was currently looking like she was trying to contain her tears.

"Is it…?" She asked, but Izumi already knew the answer.

"It's Izuna's." Hearing her brother's name caused a mix of emotions to rush through her. Usually, it would be anger or pain but this time, one emotion pushed all those negative ones to the side. It was happiness.

"**I have a gift for you but you won't be getting it until later."**

This was the gift Izuna was talking about, the one before he died. "D-Did he know?"

Kazuyo nodded her head and she could feel tears falling from her eyes. Izumi carefully placed her hand against Kazuyo's stomach. Despite not feeling a rise in her stomach -it was too early in the pregnancy- Izumi felt one single emotion top every other one she was feeling at that moment. This emotion helped put a smile to her face, the first _real_ one since Izuna's passing.

Determination.

* * *

**_December_**

_Six months after Izuna's death_

* * *

"Is this where you want it?" Izumi asked Kazuyo.

"Yeah, I like where it is." She placed the crib down and wiped the sweat from her forehead away. "Thanks for everything you're doing Izumi, its great help." Kazuyo thanked her.

"Stop, you're the one helping me out by letting me live with you." She said with a smile.

"Well, it won't be just us soon. In about a month or two we'll be having a new member in this house." Her friend said as she rubbed her swollen stomach.

Kazuyo was about eight months pregnant and due in about another. Izumi was worried about her living on her own with a newborn baby, so she suggested that she move in with her.

Besides, that's exactly what she needed, to move out of her old house. Izumi and Madara could barely stay in the same room without there being some sort of yelling, whatever relationship they had before Izuna's death had disappeared. Izumi couldn't forgive Madara for not agreeing to the peace treaty -it would have saved Izuna's life- while Madara couldn't forgive the Senju for they did to their family.

"Well, I need to go get some things. I'll be back." Kazuyo waved goodbye and left the room. Izumi heard the door close, leaving her alone in the house.

These past six months without Izuna had been hard, but Izumi knew that with the help of Kazuyo and the soon to be born baby, she would come to accept his death.

She still has moments where she'll turn around to ask something, but realize that he was gone. Those were her bad days though; the ones where it takes extra effort to leave the house, to even leave the bed.

Sighing, Izumi put her hair up and walked to the backyard. She was still close to her old house; the one Madara lived all alone in now, so that meant that she could still reach the river but it just took a little longer than before.

But Izumi had nothing better to do so that where she decided to go.

* * *

Izumi was singing a traditional lullaby when she reached the river.

"Hello Izumi." A voice suddenly greeted her, causing to whirl around with her hand on her chest.

"Kami, you almost gave me a heart attack Tobirama." She could never sense him, no matter how hard she tried. She saw a ghost of a smile on his face.

"Sorry." Izumi narrowed her eyes, as if she knew he wasn't serious.

"How was your day?" She suddenly asked.

"It was fine."

"I'm surprised your brother lets you come here, despite knowing who you're meeting with." Izumi said as she sat down on the overhang, Tobirama following close behind.

"Hashirama does not care, he knows that I can protect myself if need be."

Izumi tilted her head. "How strong exactly _are_ you?"

"Well, I am considered to be on the stronger side in my clan."

"You must be lucky, being strong. The whole clan must recognize that you are, right?"

Tobirama leaned back on his hands and looked up at the sky. Looking back at his younger memories, it was always about his older brother Hashirama. "Not really." Tobirama gave Izumi a dry laugh. "I was always overshadowed by Hashirama. He was the genius one no matter how hard I actually tried; he would always be one step ahead of me. In the end though, I still love him."

Izumi sighed and leaned her head against her hand. "I can relate to that. In the Uchiha clan, being a Kunoichi isn't really a job that we're "supposed" take. Most women become wives at 16, 17." Izumi closed her eyes and steeled herself for the memories that would come along with what she was going to say. "I was always the "weak one" compared to…I-Izuna and Madara. People would mock me for being a Kunoichi, my grandmother herself always told me that I was going to die, that's why she kept trying to marry me off to some random man I've never met. But despite all of that," She opened her eyes, turned around to Tobirama, and gave him a real smile. "I still love them both, even if he's gone. I fight with Madara, especially lately, but I still love him and I would do everything for him." She loved Madara and nothing would change that. Nothing.

Tobirama saw the change in her face, it looked...nostalgic now. But she must have sensed something and gave Tobirama a smile. "Enough of this, how was your day?" She asked and she actually sounded...interested. Seeing her smile made something in Tobirama's heart beat faster, but he ignored it and told her about his day, the thing he felt right now must have been something else.

It had to be.

* * *

_**June**_

_One year after Izuna's death_

* * *

Izumi slowly opened her eyes and she could hear Kazuyo trying to calm down little Kagami.

He was born five months ago on January 29th and weighing a little under 6 pounds. Izumi was slightly worried about Kazuyo because her mother died giving birth to her and Izuna.

Not that many people were there to see Kagami's entrance into the world; Izumi could count the amount of people on one hand. Her, Madara, Hiromi, and Etsuko.

But it was better that way, the less people who knew about Kagami was better, it was safer. Izumi didn't know until Madara told her but Izuna was not liked by many clans and although assassination attempts weren't _that_ likely, it couldn't be out ruled.

Today was painful day though, one year after Izuna's death and she still couldn't accept it like she thought she would. It hurt to get out of bed but she knew she had too. After changing into, Izumi walked into the kitchen to see Kagami asleep and Kazuyo at the kitchen table, her face hidden in her hands while her shoulders were shaking.

"Kazuyo?" She asked. Her friend looked up and Izumi saw tears running down her face.

"O-One year Izumi. _One year_, and I still feel as if he would walk through this door and welcome me with open arms." Kazuyo started shaking her head. "I can't believe he's been gone for a _whole goddamn year_."

Izumi walked to where her best friend sat and placed her hand on Kazuyo's shoulder. "It's alright; the only thing we can do is move on." She said, trying to console Kazuyo. But as much as Izumi tried to make it sound true, it was obvious that what she had said was a lie. She wanted to cry and scream how unjust it was that her brother was gone but Izumi couldn't shed anymore tears; too many had fallen in the first few months.

She only felt numbness today.

Kazuyo moved Izumi's hand away and stood up. "I'm sorry; you probably want to go visit him."

"It's fine-"

"Go, and don't forget to bring him the flowers that he loved." Izumi smiled and carefully walked over to where Kagami lay, asleep. Izuna would have loved his son so much; it was unfair how he had to be taken away from this. Giving the sleeping baby a smile, Izumi walked away to the front door to go visit her brother's grave. But there was one place she needed to go to before going there.

Izumi needed to go to Madara's house first.

* * *

"Madara?" Izumi asked as she gingerly opened the door. She expected a messy house, one with dirty dishes piling up in the sink and dirty laundry across the floor, but there were none.

This house was clean, almost as if no one lived in it.

"Madara?"

"I'm over here." She heard a muffled voice from the office room. Sighing, she took off her shoes and walked to where her older was at. When she slid open the door, Izumi saw that her brother was holding a bouquet and was wearing the traditional black, just like her. "Are you going right now?" Izumi nodded her head.

"Yes, I was wondering if you wanted to come along."

"Are you sure I should be the one going-"

"I d-don't think I can do this alone and Kazuyo has to watch over Kagami."

In the last six month, their relationship had gotten a_ little _better, although it wasn't by much. But it was enough to where the two weren't at each's throats whenever they were in a room together and could hold a conversation that didn't turn hostile. Madara was her only family left besides Kagami.

He was her older brother, the one that she loved from the bottom of her heart despite the differences they had.

"I'm about to go anyways." He gave her a smile and closed the drawer. Izumi walked out of the door and Madara followed.

* * *

Izumi stopped walking at the gate. It wasn't by choice; her legs just suddenly stopped her.

"Izumi?" She looked down at her hands and noticed that they were shaking.

"I d-don't think I can do t-this." She said in a frail voice to her older brother.

Izumi's only been to Izuna's grave once, a week after his funeral. It was so hard for her not to just run away that day; she almost had a breakdown on the spot. Kazuyo literally had to walk her out of the cemetery.

"You can do this Izumi. _We _can do this." Madara gave her his arm. Izumi took a deep breath and linked her arm with his and let Madara lead the way to Izuna's grave.

With every step she took she felt heavier, sadder, angrier. Izumi could feel her heart beat harder and harder to the point where she thought she was having a heart attack (she wasn't). Her brother suddenly stopped and Izumi's eyes focused on the name on the headstone that they both stopped in front of.

_Uchiha Izuna_.

Izumi let out a sob from reading his name. Without knowing, Madara had removed his arm from hers and placed his hand against her back.

"I'm so sorry Izuna." She sobbed out. Her legs couldn't hold her weight and she collapsed on the ground. Madara kneeled down and gently took the bouquet in her hands and placed it below the headstone.

Izuna was too young, he shouldn't have died. He should've been able to see his son's birth and see him grow up. He should've been able to actually get married with Kazuyo; he should've been a father and a husband.

But It wasn't the Senju's fault; it wasn't even Madara's fault.

No, it was fate's fault.

"I'm sorry Izumi, I should've been stronger, I should've just pushed aside old conflicts and just signed that goddamn treaty." Izumi heard her older brother say. She felt her brother wrap his arms around her in a hug. She shook her head and cried harder.

By coming here Izumi finally realized the one thing she just didn't want to acknowledge.

Izuna was truly gone.

* * *

**_August_**

_Two Months Later..._

* * *

"Hey Tobirama. I brought riceballs!" Izumi shouted out happily to the white haired Senju. He turned around and gave her a little smile.

"Hello Izumi."

"I want to spar with you today." Tobirama raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Spar?"

Izumi nodded her head. "Yup." She said, popping the "p".

"Why do you want to do that suddenly?"

Izumi shrugged her shoulders. "I have some pent up energy that I want to blow off."

"I guess…"

"Great! We'll have a break and eat the food after the spar." She said excitedly. Without wasting second Izumi took off the shirt she was wearing to reveal a tight tank top. Her pants were already skintight so she didn't bother with that. "Come on!" She jumped off of the cliff and used her chakra to land as gracefully as she could onto the water. Tobirama soon followed her and he had decided to take off his shirt leaving him in a tank top like her. Izumi shook her arms to get rid of the nervousness she felt.

"Ready?" Izumi nodded her head. "This is only a taijutsu fight so no weapons and ninjutsu." She nodded her head again. This was exciting –not to mention she just got in an argument with Madara- Izumi had all this anger and steam that she needed to blow off.

Without saying anything, she ran towards Tobirama. With a chakra powered jump, she whirled around in the air and raised her leg to kick Tobirama in the head. Seeing this, he raised his arms and blocked her kick, giving Izumi the opportunity to do a backflip from Tobirama's arms to get away from him. As she landed back on the uneven water, Izumi had to immediately lean back to avoid a punch, but she didn't see the leg sweep that Tobirama did. Izumi's eyes widened and she fell backwards –careful to use chakra so she didn't fall into the water- but she didn't have time to lay there, Izumi had to roll to the side so she didn't get kicked in the head by the leg Tobirama swung down. She quickly stood up and blocked the uppercut that was headed toward her and used that opening to kick Tobirama in the abdomen, a place where he had left vulnerable when he went to attack her. Her kick pushed Tobirama a few feet away and she saw the expression on his face.

It made Izumi very happy.

"You're better than I thought." He had announced after a few seconds of silence between the two.

Izumi quirked her eyebrow. "Oh? Were you underestimating me?"

"...Sorry." Tobirama apologized, but he didn't sound very sincere. Izumi laughed and fell into stance.

"Are you ready for round two?" She saw Tobirama smirk before he just...disappeared. Izumi's eyes widened and she looked around, but wasn't anywhere. There was no way that this...thing Tobirama just did wasn't a jutsu; he had to have used one. Well, if Tobirama wanted to play dirty, then so would she.

Izumi closed her eyes and then reopened them, she had activated her Sharingan. She looked around her surroundings and noticed that Tobirama was hidden in a tree a few feet to her left.

"Come on out Tobirama!" She shouted out. She turned to face the tree he was in but with a flicker, he had disappeared again.

Untraceable to her eyes.

Her eyes widened once again until she felt something behind her. Izumi turned around and saw Tobirama doing that annoying smirk that she found so annoying (yet it caused her heart to beat faster).

"What was that?"

"It was a jutsu that I happened to create." Tobirama said to Izumi. He couldn't believe what he was saying, but he felt that he could trust Izumi with this jutsu. He knew that she had a chance of copying this jutsu if she saw the seal work and even then she would have to change the sealwork because it was one that Tobirama created for himself. Just by seeing the Hiraishin in action she wouldn't be able to do anything.

"Huh... Can I see it again?" Izumi asked. He was so…fast. It was something she's never seen before; it was quite shocking to her. She deactivated her Sharingan and smiled at Tobirama. "Please?" She saw him nod his head and he disappeared. But because he wasn't trying to hide his chakra signature, she was able to sense him wherever he went. Izumi kept turning to her left because that was where Tobirama kept going too.

But she suddenly stopped because she was suddenly looking at a black tank top. Izumi slowly looked up and saw that Tobirama was looking down at her with his red eyes.

Something in the air had changed and either of them didn't know how.

Looking down at Izumi right now, Tobirama never fully realized how...attractive she was. Sure, whenever he saw her smile or laugh his heart would beat a little harder and notice how pretty she was, but he always pushed those feeling aside. He sure didn't know what came over him when he used the Hiraishin seal on her; Tobirama knew that it would mean he would be _right_ behind her. Yet, he felt compelled to. But as he stared into Izumi's eyes right now, Tobirama knew that whatever he felt when he was near her was something he never thought he would feel.

He was...attracted to her. But she was a Uchiha and even if he was friends with her, was he allowed to feel these things for Izumi?

Izumi felt Tobirama place his hands on her cheeks, making her look into his eyes. That was when she noticed conflict in them. She would see why, doing...whatever they were doing right now was against both of their teachings in their clans. He was a Senju, she was a Uchiha. This was a disaster waiting to happen.

Yet...Izumi was willing to defy those rules because standing right there with Tobirama made her realize her feelings for the man. It made her realize that this was something she wanted and it seemed that Tobirama thought the same way too. Whatever bad he was thinking disappeared and in his eyes was determination. He slowly leaned down, his hands still on Izumi's face. She placed her hands on his shoulders and stood on her toes because he was so much taller than her.

Letting her eyes shut, the last thing Izumi saw was Tobirama's face closing in on hers.

* * *

**A/N: **_I'M SUCH AN EVIL PERSON LEAVING THIS CHAPTER AT THIS PLACE BUT I JUST HAD TOO I WANTED TO DO SOMETHING CRUEL LIKE THIS xD (I'm not sorry by the way.)_

_I do want to thank so many of you guys for reviewing and leaving a favorite or follow to this story, it's making me so happy and full of joy, something that I kinda need right now for some in RL reasons._

_So, how was this chapter? Surprisingly, this is actually one of my favorite ones for some reason. It was all angst in the beginning but then gets happy at the end xD I think I wrote their little "moment" quite well. But if I didn't, then I'm sorry. This is actually the first time I've written something like this because in In Time I'm nowhere near romance, Kakashi and Haruka (the main characters in that story) are still 14. No romance yet Dx I know that in that last chapter it seemed as if Izumi was really accepting of Izuna's death, but she wasn't. Sorry if that kinda annoyed some of you guys, I just wanted to put the aftershock in this chapter instead._

_But anyhow, I hope this chapter was as good as I think it is! I suck at writing fighting scenes (obviously) but I know for sure that it wasn't confusing. DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID WITH IZUNA'S BABY I NAMED HIM KAGAMI *COUGH* *COUGH*_

_But I bad for leaving this chapter like this so I will tell you that I'll be going into canon next chapter. Konoha's not that far away!_

_I recommend __**Stormdancer, **__or basically the __**Lotus War Series **__written by __**Jay Kristoff.**__ It's heavily based on Japanese Mythology but it's actually quite steampunk too. I like this series a lot and I'm actually half way through the third book right now._

_That's about it so don't forget to leave a review and a follow/fav. if you haven't!_

_Until next time!~_

_(P.S. I'm still working on the next chapter for In Time so I'm sorry that it hasn't been updated yet!)_

_JUST IN CASE ANYBODY IS CONFUSED, IZUMI IS 19 AND TOBIRAMA IS 22._


	15. Forbidden

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"_The best love is the kind that awakens the soul;_

_That makes us reach for more,_

_That plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds._

_That's what I hope to give you forever."_

**Nicholas Spark (The Notebook)**

* * *

**Forbidden**

Izumi closed her eyes and felt Tobirama's lips on hers; they were hard yet soft, gentle. Warmth spread throughout her body as she moved her arms to his neck, deepening their kiss. She felt Tobirama move his hands to her back, and area that no one has ever touched but Izumi didn't care because her body was tingling with unknown emotions, ones she didn't think she would ever possess.

They both pulled back, breathing a little harder. Tobirama was staring at her with the red eyes that she had gotten so used to and she realized that they contained so much emotion; this alone would have made her breathless without the kiss. He placed both of his hands on the sides of her face and leaned down to where their foreheads were touching, both of their eyes now closed.

"Izumi… We can't…" Izumi grip tightened on the outsides of his arms. She knew that if they didn't stop here, there would be no turning back. Right here was their warning sign, if they continued whatever relationship they had, it would be forbidden. Just think about these kinds of things made her eyes burn with the oncoming tears. "Our clans…"

Izumi tried to hold back her tears, but one managed to escape. "Tobirama…"

Hearing her say his name in that fragile voice, the one that he knew that meant she would come undone seemed to have made Tobirama decide. He knew his answer, but would it be the right one?

Tobirama's hand moved from her cheeks to around her jaw. "Izumi, look at me." She hesitantly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw were his eyes. Looking at them she knew what his answer to their silent question was, causing a small smile to form on her face.

Tobirama leaned down and closed the distance between them.

* * *

_**November**_

_Three months later…_

* * *

"Izumi!" Said girl turned around and smiled when she saw Hiromi.

"Hiromi, how are you?" Izumi asked as she jogged up to meet the pregnant lady.

"I'm doing great and so is little Yuri-chan."

Izumi cocked an eyebrow, amusement clearly showing on her face. "You seem so sure that it's a girl."

Hiromi wiggled her finger in front of her face. "Mother's intuition."

Izumi laughed and gave her a hug. "I would love to talk to you but I have to go meet with Madara, we should catch up some time. I never see you anymore since you moved to Nidai."

"Alright then, bye!" Saying goodbye to her friend, she ran off to find her older brother.

When she reached the building that held the meetings and Madara's office, she noticed that her brother was already waiting outside, probably for her. "Madara!"

"You're late Izumi."

"Sorry, I met with Hiromi along the way and-"

"It doesn't matter." Madara handed her a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"It's something the Elders just shoved in my face, I'm sorry but we're going to battle." Izumi's eyebrows rose with shock as she read over the paper.

"I don't understand, we were doing quite peacefully with the Senju lately. What happened?"

Madara shook his head and when Izumi looked at him, he looked so tired, so worn out. Being the clan head must be stressful, not to mention he has to 'listen' to the Elders -Izumi thought that this was bunch of bull, but hey, she didn't know anything about politics-. "I don't even know. The Elders are accusing the Senju of doing something that I know isn't true." He shook his head. "But the Senju are accusing us of doing something to them too."

Izumi furrowed her forehead. "So we're basically going back to war?" He nodded his head. "Great, of course." She pushed the paper into Madara's chest and walked off.

"Izumi-"

"If you need me, I'll be…somewhere." She said, anger obvious in her voice. Madara sighed and despite wanting to go run after her, he knew that Izumi was mad and it would be better to just leave her alone, let her blow off her anger.

When she walked into the house Kazuyo was preparing lunch for Kagami.

"Hey brat, what did your brother want?" Izumi pulled out a chair and sat down on it quite hard before slamming her head on the table.

"We're going to battle." Her muffled voice replied to Kazuyo's question. The knife in her hand paused and she looked back at her friend.

"When?"

Izumi raised her head up. "It said in a week on the paper."

"Kami that must suck. Glad I'm not in your place, I have Kagami as an excuse as not to start missions just yet."

"You're so lucky Kazuyo." There was a comfortable silence between the two for a few minutes; the only sounds were the cutting of vegetables that came from Kazuyo.

"Are you happy right now Kazuyo?" Izumi suddenly asked, out of the blue. Said girl whirled around, her eyes opened with shock.

"What's up with that question Brat?"

Izumi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I just feel like asking that."

"I actually am happy, I have Kagami and surprisingly," Kazuyo smiled at her. "I have you."

Her face turned red. "O-Okay." Seeing her reaction Kazuyo laughed at her when she realized something was different about Izumi.

"You're a lot happier lately, did something good happen?"

Izumi's face turned even redder and her eyes widened. "N-No!"

"Huh, you're lying Brat."

"What? No I'm not!" Izumi stood up. "I have to go, uh, do something." After giving the eight month old baby a smile Izumi walked out of the house. Kazuyo narrowed her eyes and was suspicious of the 19 year old, Izumi reminded Kazuyo of herself after she started dating Izuna,

It was almost as if the girl was in love.

* * *

After making sure to conceal her chakra she walked out into the forest. Izumi was still pissed off at the Elders, even though only one of them from her father's time as Clan Head was alive. Talking with Kazuyo helped calm her down a little too but the conversation she was having with her took a wrong turn, something that Izumi obviously didn't want.

Izumi sighed and kicked a small rock in front of her. Kami she hated the Elders, there were not enough words to describe the hatred for them. You would think that by Madara being Clan Head the Elders would be different, but even in the current Elder Council; the "newly" appointed ones were just as bad –if not worse than before. She hated fighting, especially if it meant doing it with her brother. He was ruthless and unemotional on the battlefield, something Izumi absolutely hated. Not to mention those eyes… Madara called them the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan –whatever the hell that meant. All she could see now were her twin's eyes mixed together with Madara's. Izumi sighed and continued walking, distracted by her thoughts and not realizing that someone was following her.

* * *

"Tobirama?" Izumi asked, not sure if he was nearby. She looked around and couldn't sense anyone, but that didn't mean anything. She could never sense him and it bothered her relentlessly. "Hello-"

Arms suddenly surrounded her from behind, slightly scaring her. "Hello Izumi." A deep voice said in her ear. Izumi felt a smile adorn her face and she turned her head around to see red eyes staring back into her own brown.

"Hi Tobirama." She placed a hand on one cheek and gave him a kiss on another. Tobirama's arms tightened and she let him lead them to the overhand. After they both sat down Izumi leaned against his chest while his arms continued wrap around her body, his hands tangling with her.

"Kami, I missed this." Tobirama suddenly said, out of character. He always kept his emotions and thoughts to himself and Izumi knew this so it was weird when he would say things like this. She looked up at him and saw that he was looking over the horizon.

"I did too." She missed being in his arms, hearing his voice. Tobirama was gone for the past month because of a mission that he was on –where to he never told her and Izumi understood why, clan privacy and all.

"How have you been?" He asked her.

Izumi looked up and gave him a smile. "I've been fine. My eyes are sore every once and a while but that's about it really." Her face suddenly changed as she remembered the events that had happened earlier.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm going on a mission."

"Oh." Izumi let out a forlorn sigh as she gripped onto his hands even tighter.

"I don't want to go," She looked down at their linked hands. "I never do." Izumi added in a small voice. She was glad that Tobirama chose to not wear his armor today, if he did she would be laying against it and she knew through experience that it wasn't comfortable.

"Well, I'm not going to bother telling you to be careful."

"Gee, thanks."

Tobirama looked down at her and gave her a small smile. "Because you're strong." For the third time in a day Izumi felt her face heat up with a blush.

"Thank you Tobirama, for everything." She turned her body around in his arms and faced him. Izumi gave him a wide smile and put her arms around his neck. "You know, I'm not coming back for a while…"

"Oh?" She tilted her head up. Tobirama gave a small chuckle. Hearing him laugh, even if it was little, made Izumi's heart beat faster.

In a blink of an eye his lips were against hers. She laughed and kissed him harder.

'_Thank you Tobirama, thank you so much._'

* * *

"Kazuyo? I'm home!" Izumi shouted out from the front door. She walked to the kitchen and saw Kazuyo staring at her, anger all over her face. "Uh, did something happen?"

"I followed you."

Izumi dropped the bag she was carrying, her eyes widened with shock. "Wait-"

"Really? You're meeting with a goddamn _Senju_?"

"Please-"

"What the fuck Izumi?"

"It's not like that-"

"You were _kissing_ the guy!"

Izumi stumbled over to where Kazuyo was standing and grabbed onto her shoulder. "Kazuyo please, you can't tell anyone.'

"Izumi, he's a Senju and not just a normal one he's _Senju Tobirama,_ Hashirama's little brother! He's probably using you!"

She shook her head, denying what Kazuyo just said. "No he's not." Izumi turned her head to the side, tears streaming down her face. "He makes me happy Kazuyo, think about it. I've been so happy for the past few months."

"This has been continuing for months?"

"You're not getting the point! I'm happy for once!" Izumi pushed Kazuyo away and looked at her. "I thought about suicide, I thought that by ending my life I would end the pain that I felt every morning when I woke up. But I kept on going for you, for Kagami, for Madara. But when I met with Tobirama, I don't know why but that darkness disappeared, he made me feel like there was something in life for me." Her eyes fazed over as if thinking about something. "A year after Izuna's death I fell back into that darkness, I fell back into depression. But I don't know, I was fighting with him one day and he just…kissed me." Her eyes focused again and she stared into Kazuyo's dark grey ones. "There was as if a missing piece was filled in my heart. So please don't tell anyone." Izumi's eyes widened when she saw tears forming in her friends eyes. "K-Kazuyo?"

"Fine, I won't tell anyone." Kazuyo wiped her eyes. "But I'm not going to forget about this conversation, okay?"

"Thank you Kazuyo, thank you so much."

The only reason why she even bothered agreeing was because seeing Izumi now reminded Kazuyo of herself when she was younger, when she fell in love with Izuna.

That's the _only_ reason why Izumi's secret was safe at that moment.

* * *

_One Week Later…_

* * *

Izumi walked up to her brother, her body decked out with her armor. Her katana and its scabbard was at the end of her back, her sword handle sticking on the right for her to grab easily; Izumi looked identical to her brother, the only difference was that her armor was fitted for her chest and hips..

"You got everything Izumi?" Madara asked her.

Izumi groaned. "Yes Madara, I do. Let's just go and get this over with." She looked around and noticed that there were more people her age instead of the younger generation of shinobi, something that relieved Izumi for a little.

The only reason was because she wouldn't have to worry about the children fighting.

* * *

_**December**_

_One Month Later…_

* * *

_Clang_

Izumi tried to catch the Senju's eyes but he knew to avoid them, he was looking down. '_Goddamn it!_' She jumped back and went through handseals.

"Suiton: Tenkyū!" Water condensed into thin needles shot out from her mouth and the unknown Senju in the chest and neck. Without giving the fallen man a second glance she turned around and saw her brother fighting Hashirama, which usually meant Tobirama was nearby. Looking around she saw fallen members of her own clan and ones from the Senju while the ones who were capable of fighting were well, fighting. She knew that her brother would be fine so she ran towards the Senju that was trying to sneak up on Madara.

Grabbing the man's shoulder, Izumi pushed him behind her and lifted her katana.

"Of course it has to be you!" The Senju ran towards her, his own katana raised.

_Clang_

The Senju was avoiding her eyes –just like the other one- when Izumi heard grunt that was all too familiar. Using chakra she pushed the man away and turned around only to see a certain white-haired Senju holding the side of his stomach, his face in pain with blood on it.

It was Tobirama.

Izumi took a step forward when the ground suddenly upheaved and shook, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards. She hit her head hard against a rock and saw stars, only the shaking of the ground keeping her somewhat focused. Despite being injured the Uchiha Matriarch knew immediately it wasn't a jutsu, it spanned too far in all directions. The only thing she could think of was that it was an earthquake. Getting onto fours she groggily lifted her head up only to see Tobirama shouting at her to get up, to start moving.

Izumi moved her head back down and started to see cracks forming at where she was and she knew what that meant.

The ground was going to collapse. She stood up and almost fell back down; her head was hit hard, too hard.

"Izumi start running, please!" Tobirama was shouting out. He wanted to use the Hiraishin to get to her but one of the Uchiha had used a technique that depleted most of his chakra. He could only do about one more teleport before his chakra was gone altogether. Maybe…he may be able to catch her and run away in time, but that was a big if.

Izumi shook her head to get rid of whatever fogginess that was in her head and started running, but it was too late. Her eyes widened when she realized that the ground was breaking, falling into whatever hole there was. She looked up and saw Tobirama's eyes, widened with fear.

"TOBIRAMA!" Izumi screamed his name out with fear before falling with the broken pieces of the land. She blinked and saw her brother running towards her.

'_I'm so sorry Madara._'

She closed her eyes and succumbed to her wound, but not before she felt a familiar warmth surround her.

* * *

**A/N: **_BABAM! I finished this and I am happy! I hope you guys enjoyed reading about their kiss because I sure know that I loved writing about it xD half of this chapter was just fluff but the other half was like all intense._

_Don't you just love my cliffhangers? Because I sure know that I do!_

_I really want you guys to tell me how well I wrote out their kiss scene because let's face it, there's probably going to be more kissing later on in the story so…_

_Yeah._

_**Asylum**_ _by __**Madeleine Roux**_ _is the next book for recommendations! It's actually a horror story about a group of kids who do this summer program, like college prep I think. They end up having to stay at an old and renewed asylum and the main character/boy starts seeing things and tries to find out about what really happened at the asylum. It has a sequel and they were both really good._

_So leave a review and a follow/fav.!_

_Until next time!~_


	16. Peace

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."**

Martin Luther King, Jr.

* * *

**Peace**

Izumi groggily opened her eyes the first thing she noticed was how bad of a headache she had. She groaned quite loudly and it must have caught the attention of someone because when she blinked there was someone staring at her, someone eerily familiar.

"T-Tobirama?"

"Thank Kami you woke up." He helped her sit up against him but Izumi couldn't help but wince in pain when she moved too quickly. "I was scared that you wouldn't." She winced again from the pounding in her head before she realized that she didn't know where she was.

"Where are we?"

Tobirama shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue actually. We're underground, that's for sure. I tried sensing but…it didn't work."

Izumi rubbed the back of her head and found the place that hurt the most. "Oh…" She was about to ask Tobirama what had happened when the memories of the past day came rushing back to her, causing it to overwhelm Izumi. She groaned and her head fell forwards into her hands; Tobirama whirled his head towards her and immediately placed his hands on her back, worried for her.

"What's wrong?" He asked her, his eyebrows furrowed. If this was any other time Izumi would be touched by how much emotion he was showing but the pain in her head was too much for her to even try to remember what she had for breakfast the day before.

"Madara…" She raised her head up and looked at Tobirama, tears streaming down her face. Her brother…her poor older brother. He already blames himself for their sibling's death; he would've blamed himself for hers too. "He probably thinks I'm dead, I-I need to leave, tell him that I'm alive!" Madara _needs _to know that she's alive. Izumi tried to stand up but when she did she didn't realize that her legs were still weak from injuring herself, causing her to fall onto Tobirama. It was a good thing he saw what was coming and held his arms out to catch her.

"We'll have to wait-"

Izumi spun her head around and looked at him, suddenly angry. "Why the hell are you even here? I remember that you were standing pretty far away from me when the earthquake happened." Tobirama remained silent, which gave Izumi his answer to her question. "Baka, why would you use your Hiraishin like that?"

"…I'm not sorry."

She sighed and leaned against him again. "Of course you're not… You could die down here Tobirama, why would you even try to save me?"

"I don't know. My body just…moved…"

"Well you did something _really_ stupid." She paused after finishing her sentence. "For once." Izumi added. Tobirama narrowed his eyes as if insulted by what she said but Izumi knew deep down that he really wasn't.

"I do plenty of…stupid things."

Izumi gave him a look. "Your hesitation to use the word says otherwise." He scoffed and turned away. The sudden movement of his body caused one of his weapons to fall out of whatever pocket they were in. The weapon happened to be a kunai with his Hiraishin seal on it.

"Your Hiraishin…" Izumi's eyes widened and she grabbed it, pointing to the seal on the hilt. "Tobirama, can't you use your Hiraishin to teleport us back?"

Shock flashed through his eyes before Tobirama shook his head and looked away from her. "I can't. Someone from your clan did something to block my Chakra and I don't know what."

"Fuck." Izumi let out a curse and clenched her hands into fists, the playful mood in the air disappearing. "I can't look at your chakra without using my Sharingan and that's something I can't do right now because of my injury." Mentally cursing her for being so weak she looked around; Izumi could tell that where she had fallen into wasn't a natural cave, it was a tunnel that was obviously manmade. "We should look around; maybe we'll find an exit." She suggested hopefully.

Tobirama cocked an eyebrow. "Will you be fine?"

Izumi shrugged her shoulders and rubbed her face. "It doesn't really matter, if we don't find a way out soon we both won't be." She pointed to his stomach where bandages were wrapped all around. "Don't think I didn't see you get stabbed, you may have wrapped it to prevent anymore bleeding or stuff to get in it but if we don't have any food, medication, and proper medical care, we're done for. The water we both are carrying will last us about five days, maybe a week if we're careful." Tobirama sighed, knowing that he was going to lose whatever argument he got himself into with her.

"Fine." He stood up and gave his hand to her; Izumi placed her hand on his and let him help her stand up. When she did Izumi could tell that she was hell of a lot weaker than what she thought she was and that slightly worried her. "Are you sure you're fine?"

"Yeah." Izumi looked around and sighed. She grabbed onto Tobirama's arm and slowly started walking down the tunnel.

* * *

_**Madara**_

* * *

Madara couldn't help but clench his fists under the table because if he didn't, he would've punched the Elders in front of him.

"Izumi is as good as dead with that fall."

"But that Senju said that he could sense both of them still alive."

"Hashirama? You can never trust anything that comes out of his mouth."

"Izumi deserves to die; everyone saw how she screamed for Tobirama instead of one of us. She must have-" One of the Elders said. Hearing this caused something in Madara to snap, no one would that about Izumi talk like.

"That is enough." He slammed his hand onto the table, catching everybody's attention. "We are not here to talk about my sister and her relationships with people; we are here to talk about the treaty with the Senju."

"I do not agree to this…_ treaty_." Heiji spat out. Madara shot him a glare before turning back to the group.

"This depends on Izumi's _life_; I will not make the same mistake I made last time." He looked down at the opened scroll on the table. "They want peace and that is something we can give them-" There was instant outcry over what Madara just said.

"No!"

"That is obscure!"

"Peace? We will never achieve peace with that clan!" Madara felt his eye twitch before he slammed his fists on the table again.

"_Shut up!_" He shouted out over the yelling. The Elders quickly stopped, disbelief on their face.

"How dare you talk to us like-" Madara pointed to Heiji and looked at him dead in the eye.

"You were with my father during his time as Clan Head and I respect that, you were very good with him and the choices he made for the clan. But you_ dare _to talk about my sister like that? I will not accept it, Elder or not. If you will not even try to listen or consider to what we are here to talk about then leave, walk out of this room and never come back." Heiji opened his mouth to say something, his face getting red but Madara cut him off with a wave of his hand. "_You_ are replaceable; your position is one that anybody could fill." Looking back to everyone sitting at the table he smiled and brushed away the dust on the table. "Now, about this treaty." Madara said calmly.

After the meeting Madara was standing in his office with another person, preparing for his upcoming mission.

"Madara-sama, are you sure you don't want anyone to go with you?"

He looked to the teen. "Yes Noizumi. Thank you-"

"Madara! Madara!" Madara was interrupted by the only person in the clan that wouldn't add 'sama' to the end of his name besides Izumi -but she was his sister so she was an exception.

He turned around the woman. "What do you want Kazuyo?" Stopping in front of him she placed her hands on her hips and stared at him.

"I want to go with you."

Madara cocked an eyebrow, shocked. "What about Kagami?" Someone would have to watch over his nephew.

She waved her hands in front of her face. "I've gotten someone to watch over him."

Kazuyo suddenly grabbed his shirt and brought him closer to her face. "I _need_ to with you, I know I haven't been an active kunoichi lately but this involves Izumi, I'm not going to allow someone I love die again."

"How dare you act like that to Madara-sama-" Noizumi suddenly shouted out, his face red. Madara looked at him to say something but Kazuyo beat him to it when she glared at the teen, effectively shutting him up.

"You better shut up gaki if you know what's good for you. I've known this idiot standing here longer than you've been out of diapers." Turning back to Madara he knew that there would be no argument with her. Sure, he may be the clan head but he knew that if it came down to an argument between them he would lose, hands down.

It was just her character, her personality. How Izumi and Izuna dealt with it? He can't –and probably never will- understand.

* * *

_A few days later…_

_**Izumi**_

* * *

"Tobirama?" She turned around, a dull ache in the back of her head. Izumi managed to heal the outer part of the wound in her head but she could tell that there was something wrong _inside _of it. At least the pain was almost gone; it was only a slight pounding now.

"I'm…fine." He winced and leaned against the wall. Izumi slowly walked forward and noticed how pale he was with perspiration lining his face; she placed her hand against his forehead and realized that he was burning up with probable a fever.

"Oh Kami." The ache in her head forgotten she gently pushed Tobirama down into a sitting position. "You're burning up with a fever Tobirama." He waved his hand weakly in front of her.

"I'm fine…Izumi."

"Sure you are." She pulled up his shirt and saw his bandages; there was blood on it where his stab wound was, showing that it had bled through the bandages. "Fuck Tobirama, why didn't you say your wound was this bad?"

"It's…not bad." He said unconvincingly as his eyes fluttered close.

"Shit." Izumi pulled her sleeves up and checked her chakra levels. Damn, she didn't have a lot of that too. She had enough to probably get rid of the infection but Izumi knew that she wouldn't be able to do anything afterwards, she would be chakra exhausted and there was no food or water to help with replenishing it.

Izumi started unwrapping his bandages and there –in all its glory- was an infected stab wound. There was puss all around his wound and it was red and inflamed, an obvious sign of an infection if the fever and chalky skin wasn't enough to tell. Gathering all her chakra she moved her hand above his wound when a certain…thought ran through her head.

Tobirama…his wound was just like her brother's all over again. The stab wound, the infection. He was stabbed in the same place as Izuna too. It was as if fate was messing with her, teasing her with things. Tobirama was going to die; he was going to die_ hewasgoingtodieandshewouldn'tbeabletodoanything-_

"I-Izumi." A hand grabbed Izumi's arm, startling her out of her negative thoughts. Looking down she saw Tobirama staring at her, worry in his eyes despite his current situation. Her eyes widened when Izumi saw what she had done to herself, without knowing she had grabbed both of her hands and was clenching them so hard to where there was slight bleeding from the cuts in her palms from her fingernails. Shaking her head she unclenched her hands and gave Tobirama a smile trying to show him that she was okay –but she wasn't, not like she would mention that though.

"Stay still Tobirama, I'm going to get the bad things it out." Gathering her chakra again Izumi's hand was glowing green with Iryo-ninjutsu. As she focused on getting the infection out she realized that Tobirama's wound wasn't that bad, as long as she got the infection out he would probably fine as long as he was careful. But another thing Izumi was noticing was how quickly her chakra was disappearing. Izumi didn't mention anything about this though, not when she saw that Tobirama was looking better and better by the second. By the time Izumi finished her healing she was the one breathing hard with sweat on her face, she was tired and lightheaded and not to mention that the ache in her head that wasn't bad earlier now felt like it was a hammer hitting her head every second.

"Izumi, that's enough." A voice said but it sounded so far away. She blinked and saw black spots in her eyesight.

"Izumi." Whirling her head to the right, she saw her older brother, one that she hasn't seen in over ten years.

"K-Katsumi?" He smiled before he opened his arms, only to reveal a sword sticking out of his chest.

"Why didn't you run? Why didn't you run like I told you too?"

"W-Wait, what-"

"Izumi." Turning around at the voice Izumi could feel her heart beating painfully at who she saw. She tried to reach out to him, to her twin, until she saw blooding suddenly appearing on the bottom of his shirt. "Why didn't you save me Izumi? Why didn't you stop anything?!"

"Please, please don't leave me!"

"Too late Izumi, this is your punishment for not saving me!" She clenched her eyes shut and placed her hands over her ears as if to block out all the sounds, the sound of her brothers voices.

Izumi screamed and screamed and screamed, until there was no more.

* * *

Izumi slowly opened her eyes, letting a groan come out at the same time. She was so warm…so comfortable. Feeling her eyes close again, she suddenly realized how off everything felt.

"Izumi?" Her eyes flew open when she heard the voice. Despite wanting to sit up and look around, she couldn't help but turn her head only to see her older brother.

"M-Madara." She said out loud but immediately realized how dry her throat was, resulting in her rough voice.

"You're fine." He shot up from wherever he was sitting at and was quickly at her side.

"Where…am I?"

"You're back home in your room." Slowly blinking, Izumi looked up at her brother.

"Home…? But….how?"

Madara flinched at her question. "We found you in the tunnels underground, you and Senju Tobirama."

Recognition flashed through her eyes when she heard his name. "Is he…okay? Is Tobirama…okay?"

"Yes." She tried sitting up but Madara quickly pushed her down, stopping her. "You're chakra exhausted, when we found you guys you had internal bleeding in your head. Hashirama was able to heal to you but you're still weak."

"…Oh."

Izumi smiled when she felt Madara place his hand against her forehead. "Go to sleep Izumi. You need rest."

She nodded her head and listened to her older brother, feeling like she the little girl that listened to what Madara had told her to do. Closing her eyes, she let the drowsiness pull her into the lulls of sleep.

* * *

**A/N:**_ OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS, FOLLOWS, AND FAVORITES GUYS I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCHHHHHHHHH. 3_

_Otherwise, I have no words for how late this chapter was unless you consider projects, homework, and studying for finals a reasonable excuse. I'm so stressed right now, especially for my math and science finals. Goddamn, I suck at those two subjects but they're also my favorite Dx_

_So I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! I managed fix any mistakes in the beginning but not so much at the end, sadly._

_I can't promise when the next chapter will be out but I know for sure it won't be too long._

_I recommend __**The 5**__**th**__** Wave **__by __**Rick Yancey**__. It's a great science-fiction story and it's actually going to become a movie apparently. I totally recommend reading it._

_Don't forget to follow/fav. and to leave a review!_

_Until next time!~_


	17. Treaty

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

**_"Will you tell me how long you have loved him?"_**

**It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began_._**

Jane Austen, _Pride and Prejudice_

* * *

**Treaty**

* * *

Izumi's eyes fluttered open and she quickly realized that she was alone in her room. She could hear someone moving around in the kitchen down the hall and Izumi knew that it was probably Kazuyo feeding Kagami. Looking at her hands, her hair fell over her face while Izumi recalled her meeting with Connie in the dream she just had.

* * *

Izumi looked up and saw a familiar blonde looking down at her.

"_Izumi_."

Pulling herself up from the ground Izumi smiled. "Hi Connie."

Connie gave her a small smile before turning serious. "Y_ou probably realize that whenever I summon you I tend to have bad news._"

Izumi shrugged before giving a small chuckle. "My life is full of bad news. Whatever you have to say to me can not be that bad."

The blonde gave her an unbelieving laugh. "_Well, I summoned you here because I realized something very important._"

Cocking an eyebrow Izumi raised her arms above her head and stretched them. "What does that happen to be?"

"_You being alive in this world has changed many things. You should be dead, you shouldn't even exist, yet you do. You're in a...relationship with Tobirama._"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Connie ran her hand through her shoulder-length hair. "_Your brother Izumi, that's what has to do with everything._"

"Madara?" Izumi exclaimed quite loudly. "What does that idiot do this time?"

"_After Izuna's death,_" Connie saw a flash of pain in Izumi's eyes before she continued. "_I came to a decision to that I should tell you what your brother does. I believe showing you will probably be the best thing to do._" Walking over to the Uchiha she placed her hand on her head. "_This is going to hurt a bit, sorry._"

* * *

**Izumi stood next in a forest alone, the woods looking eerily familiar.**

"**Will you destroy everything we've accomplished Madara? Nothing good will happen with a fight between us." A man with long brown hair stood in front of a large animal looking creature. "This fight will only damage the village and the people. Doing this is disrespecting our siblings and comrades deaths!" **

**The man who happened to be her older brother stood on top of the creature with his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan activated, watching Hashirama shout. "You know nothing..." He whispered. **

"**I don't want to kill you!"**

**Izumi watched them, confused on what was happening.**

_'You're seeing the battle that will happen between Madara and Hashirama after the creation of the village.' _**Connie explained as she came into existence next to her.**

**'****_The village?' _****Izumi asked.**

_'You'll understand soon.' _

**Pointing to her brother she looked at him, slightly afraid of what she saw. **_**'Madara doesn't sound like...him. He sounds meaner, darker.'**_

_'I'm afraid that your brother isn't the one that you know.'_** Connie pointed at the battlefield. **_'Just watch for now.' _**Nodding her head she turned back to the two.**

"**Are you implying that you could kill me at any moment?" Madara asked disbelieving. **

**Hashirama shook his head, his hair flying in all directions. "No, of course not! We're friends-"**

"**I've already reached it!" Her older brother suddenly shouted out. The creature let out a roar and that was when Izumi realized what the creature was surrounded in ****_and_**** what the creature happened to be.**

_**'Is that...the **_**_Kyūbi_**_**?!'**_**Izumi asked Connie. She gravely nodded her head before Izumi continued watching, shock at what her brother had done. He had used Susanoo as an armor for the B****ijū. Seeing her brother doing that with a creature that large made Izumi realize that her weird and overly-protective brother really was a powerful shinobi, whether it was in a dream or in real life.**

"**So be it." Hashirama closed his eyes and black lines started appearing around them, almost like a drawn on eye mask. "Senpō Mokuton: Shin Sūsenju!" He shouted out. From behind him a large wooden statue with over hundreds of arms suddenly rose from the ground, dwarfing the already large Kyūbi. "Here I come Madara!"**

"**Come, Hashirama!" The two men, both on top of their large creatures, ran towards each other. When they clashed, they created a large wind causing Izumi to put her hands up to stabilize herself and close her eyes.**

* * *

Gasping, Izumi pulled away from Connie's hands and looked up at her with eyes widened with shock. "My brother...does that?" Nodding her head Connie remained silent."W-Why?"

"_You brother went mad after your brother's death, he followed into your clan's curse, the Curse of Hatred. He follows a plan that-" _She suddenly stopped talking and looked around, worry on her face.

To Izumi nothing seemed off but to the blonde something had scared her. "Connie? What's wrong?"

Connie turned her head back to her and Izumi saw her wide eyes. _"__We're being watched. I c-can't tell you here, it's too d-dangerous."_

"Wait-"

"_Watch your surroundings Izumi, watch your brother. Watch for weird signs that you know is wrong. Alright?" _The blonde asked. Izumi nodded her head.

"What's wrong-"

"We don't have time. Wake up Izumi." Connie placed her hands on her shoulders and started shaking her. _"__Wake up!"_

* * *

And that was how Izumi woke up. Just thinking about what happened caused the slight ache I her head to get a little stronger. She knew that she couldn't stay in bed all day -even though she wanted too, Izumi slowly got out of bed and walked to her closet to change. After changing and brushing her hair she walked out of her room and down the hall way to see Kazuyo feeding Kagami.

"Izumi, I see you've woke up." Kazuyo said as she turned her head towards her.

"Um...yeah." She answered as she stayed where she stood in the doorway.

"Well, there's some lunch in the kitchen. Also, Madara wants to see you. He has some thing he needs to tell you." Nodding her head she thanked Kazuyo and sat in the dining table, a bowl of rice and miso soup already waiting for her.

"Itadakimasu."

* * *

"Madara? You wanted to see me?" Izumi asked as she slowly opened the door to Madara's office.

"You've woken up?" He asked as he looked up from the paper in his hands. Izumi nodded her head before sitting in front of his desk.

"Obviously. Kazuyo told me that I needed to come here so..." Madara nodded his head and cleaned his desk up a bit and waited until she got comfortable.

"You were asleep for about three weeks Izumi-"

"Three weeks?!"

Madara winced, forgetting how loud his little sister could get in times of distress. "Yes." She placed her hand where her now-healed wound was at on her head. "But you've probably been awake for a few days haven't you?"

Izumi nodded her head. "...How did you heal me? How did you even find us?" He slightly darkened at the use of the word 'us' but he let it go, but not before remembering to put that on the list of things he needed to talk to Izumi about.

"That's what I need to talk to you about." He looked down, slightly worrying Izumi. "I need you to understand, I was desperate Izumi. I truly was."

"You're scaring me Madara, what happened?"

"...I agreed to the peace treaty that Hashirama had suggested." Izumi's eyes widened before she grabbed the handles of her chair and shot up.

"_What?!"_

"Please calm down Izumi." She slowly sat back down. "I knew that I wouldn't be able to get to you in time. And even then..."

"But the Senju..."

"What about them?" He asked.

"You hate them! Why would you do something like this? Why do something you never wanted to do?"

"I don't...hate them."

"Yes you do! You always tell everyone on reasons why! Father's and Arata's death, you always bring them up. You even bring up Izuna's, so why bother?"

"Just because Izumi."

"_Because_ what? What's the difference between now and before? What made you change your mindset on never going to peace with the Senju?!"

Something in him must have snapped because in seconds Madara was shouting. "You would have _died, that's why!" _He stood up so quickly that his chair fell backwards. "How do you think I would feel, knowing that I caused the death of yet _another_ _sibling?! _Knowing that I had a chance to save you yet I didn't take it, _again!_ I wouldn't be able to live with myself Izumi!" By the time he finished Izumi was siting as far back as she could on her chair, her face pale from what he said.

"I-I didn't..." She looked down, ashamed of what came out of her mouth. "I'm sorry Madara."

He sighed and ran his hand across his face. "I didn't want you to come here so we could argue."

"Still… I'm sorry."

"It's fine." He turned around and fixed his chair before sitting back down.

"So...what did happen to me?" Izumi asked as she played with her fingers trying to distract herself from their earlier argument.

"We found both you and Tobirama in quite bad shape, you more than him. While his stab would was only slightly infected you were hemorrhaging in your head." Madara paused when he saw Izumi raise her hand to the back of her head. "It's fine now, Hashirama and his other Iryo-nin's were able to heal you but he said that you'll probably get bad headaches for the rest of your life."

Izumi body filled with relief before she realized she didn't ask about Tobirama. "What about Tobirama? Is he okay?" Despite trying to seem like she didn't care Izumi knew that she couldn't keep out the worry in her voice.

And she was right, Madara _did_ hear the worry in her voice. "That Senju is fine. His brother healed him within minutes." Although his little sister didn't say anything, her relief was obvious through her body language. "Izumi, is there something you need to tell me about him?"

"About who?" She asked, quite innocently.

"About that Senju, Tobirama."

"There's nothing to say Madara."

"Bull crap Izumi, why would you scream for him? Why would he risk his own life to save yours?"

Izumi stood up with her hands balled to her sides. "I don't know, why don't you go ask him then?"

"If you don't want to talk about it now-"

"Which I don't."

"Then I'll let it go for now." He realized that there would be no point in trying to get his sister to tell him, she was as stubborn as a rock. He gave her a smile -it was forced, he looked through the piles of paper trying to find one that he wanted Izumi's input on. "Izumi-"

There was a sudden sound of a chair being pushed backwards. "I-I need to go right now. Uh...I'll come back and see you soon." Madara quickly looked up only to see his sister's face before she rushed out of the room, leaving behind a confused Madara.

Why did his sister look so scared?

Shrugging, he went back to his paperwork until he felt another presence in the room, one that wasn't human. It was a presence that he had gotten used to lately. "Madara-sama."

As Izumi ran away from her brother's office she couldn't help but feel shocked and scared at what she saw. It was a black shadow that _moved_. It was different from the Nara Clan's famed shadow jutsu. That thing...it looked humanoid, scaring Izumi even more. Seeing whatever that thing was made Connie's warning more believable.

She really _did_ need to watch out for her surroundings.

* * *

**_One Year Later_**

**_February_**

_Izumi_

* * *

Izumi woke up from hearing the chirping of the birds right outside her window. Sitting up she yawned and stretched, having one of the best night of sleep she's ever had and she didn't even know why. Opening the blinds Izumi still wasn't used to the unfamiliar trees that stood around her house.

Her house, it was one where she lived all alone in for once. It was _hers, _specially built by Senju Hashirama himself. Izumi still wasn't used to the emptiness of the house. Growing up there was always _someone_ living with her, always. She was never alone, not like she was now. '_It's part of growing up Izumi.'_

Smiling at the familiar voice in her head she got up and got ready for the day that was to come.

As she started preparing a few salmons to bake when she heard the front door open. "Hey brat, where are you?"

"I'm in the kitchen Kazuyo." She yelled out to her friend. A few seconds later Kazuyo walked in carrying a two year old Kagami.

"Izumi-neechan!" The little boy started wiggling in his mother's arms until Izumi grabbed him so she could carry him.

"How's my little Kagami-kun?" Izumi asked. Kagami giggled and smiled at her, causing Izumi's day to brighten just a little. "Well, I'm going to have to put you down so I can make you some breakfast, okay?" He nodded his head and Izumi placed him on the ground; she put her hand on his head and ruffled his hair before turning back to the salmon.

"Your brother's calling for you, something about a meeting with the Hyūga." Kazuyo said as she picked at her fingers, sitting down at the dinning table. Kagami was sitting on the ground, playing with the plastic kunai that Madara gave to him on his birthday a few weeks ago.

"Damn, I forgot about that. What time is it right now?" She asked as she turned to her friend.

"It's 9:30." Izumi's eyes widened and almost dropped the chopsticks in her hand. "The meeting's in 30 minutes!" Handing Kazuyo her chopsticks she ran towards the room to get ready. Opening the closet she pulled out a kimono and mentally cursed. "Kazuyo, I need help!" A few seconds later Kazuyo came running into her room, Kagami following closely behind.

"Goddamn Izumi, how could you forget about that meeting?"

"I don't know! I just...did!" Izumi grunted when Kazuyo started wrapping the obi around her abdomen. "Not so tight Kazuyo!"

"You don't have enough time to be picky!" After they finished rushing through Izumi's kimono Kazuyo grabbed her face. "What are you going to do with your hair? We can't do anything with it with the time we have."

"Just let it down!"

Groaning Kazuyo pulled out Izumi's hairband and fluffed her hair a little to make it look presentable. "You are a goddamn _idiot_ Izumi." She whirled Izumi around to face her. "This is the best I can do at the time."

"Thanks Kazuyo." Giving her a smile Izumi ran out of her and the house, panicking.

20 minutes later Izumi was running up the stairs of the Hokage building. "Izumi, you're almost late!" Madara scolded her as she opened the door to the Hokage's office. The Hyūga Clan Head wasn't here yet but would be in about ten minutes.

"Sorry! I forgot that the meeting was today-"

"It doesn't matter-" Madara stopped talking when he saw the state of her hair. "What the hell happened to your hair?"

She started combing her hair with her hands. "I didn't have time to do anything with it, I just put it down but it got messed up when I used the Shunshin jutsu!" By the time she finished her hair was presentable again but it was obvious that she had rushed through everything.

"You're hopeless. You're lucky that Hashirama and Tobirama are here today too." She nodded her head as Madara led her to a different room, a room that the Hokage held all the formal meetings with important people in. After looking at herself in the window one more time, she realized that she didn't look as bad as Madara had reacted like.

Izumi opened the door, revealing Hashirama and Tobirama already sitting down, ready for the meeting. "Ah, Madara, Izumi! You made it!"

"Of course they did Brother, they have to come here!" Tobirama hissed to Hashirama. The brown-haired man sheepishly laughed, causing Tobirama to shake his head embarrassingly. Seeing the two act like that caused Izumi to snort which made Madara whirl around to glare at her.

"I haven't forgotten about you being late, don't think you're being let off the hook." She cringed at her brother's glare and sulked off to where they were supposed to sit in the meeting. Kneeling down, she started muttering not so nice words about how Madara was being unfair until she suddenly cringed in pain from being slapped on the back of her head from him.

"Ow!" Izumi held her head and glared at her brother who was in the progress of sitting down next to her.

"Can't you act like a lady for _at least_ an hour?" He held up one finger. "Just one."

She continued to rub her head and glare at her older brother. "Maybe I can, maybe I can't. Who knows." Izumi said sarcastically. She was about to say something when the Hokage and Tobirama suddenly sat up straighter and became more tense, it meant that the Hyūga was here.

* * *

_**Two and a half hours later**_

* * *

"Thank you for meeting with us Hyūga-san." Hashirama said.

"No, thank you for having me." The Hyūga bowed and left the room. The moment he disappeared from her sight Izumi loosened her tense shoulders and groaned.

"The nerve of that man, saying that a woman can't be a shinobi!" She exclaimed as she stretched her arms above her head.

"It's their way in that clan Izumi, there's no point in complaining about it." Madara said as he headed towards the same door the Hyūga just walked out off.

"Madara, we need to finish some things." Hashirama announced. Madara nodded his head and walked out of the room with Hashirama.

"What time is it?" Izumi asked as she turned around to Tobirama.

"It's around noon I think."

"Huh, no wonder why I'm hungry." She clapped her hands together and looked up at the Senju with a wide smile that Tobirama found cute -of course he wouldn't mention this to her. "Let's go eat lunch at my place!" She grabbed his arm and started pulling on it.

"Wait-"

"Come on!" Sighing he let Izumi lead them towards her house in the newly built Uchiha complex. As she led Tobirama through Konoha, what the new village they all lived in was called, she knew that she was getting glares from the other Senju's that were walking around.

"What is Tobirama-sama doing walking around with the likes of someone like her?" She heard one woman the same age as her say to her friend as they walked by.

Tobirama noticed that her smile wasn't as bring as it was earlier and he knew the exact reasons why. "Maybe I shouldn't go-"

Izumi shook her head. "No, it's fine. I know a way to get to my house without going through the populated area."

* * *

"It might be a little messy so, sorry."

"It's fine." Tobirama said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. Izumi gave him a smile before heading towards the kitchen. He followed her, not sure about the layout of her house since he had only been here once when Hashirama was making it.

"What do you want?" Izumi asked as she opened the cabinets above her sink. "I don't have much-"

"Anything's fine." He responded, slowly sitting down at the dining table.

"Well I hope you like salmon because that's all I actually have at the moment." Tobirama cocked an eyebrow at what she said. "What? I haven't left to go get food yet." She said as she pulled out the half-baked salmon from the icebox in her room. Pulling out one more she began baking the salmon.

After about 20 minutes of silence Izumi was finally done and placed their lunch on the table. "Itadakimasu." There was another 15 minutes of silence, only the sounds of their eating occupying the space until they were done. "Was it good? It wasn't bad right?"

"It was very good Izumi. Thank you." Tobirama thanked as he stood up. Izumi smiled and said that she was going to get changed into more comfortable clothes, leaving Tobirama alone. Having nothing to do he started washing the dishes in the sink. There was no one in the kitchen so he didn't bother turning around when he sensed Izumi walk into the room, it meant that his back was open, vulnerable to her.

Slowly walking towards him she quickly tickled him and ran away, knowing that he would be close behind to follow her. Tobirama quickly turned off the faucet and ran after Izumi; she was laughing and failing at hiding in the living room. Using his Hiraishin -because he was unfair like that- Tobirama was quickly able to teleport himself behind her; he wrapped his arms around her and fell to the couch that was right next to them.

"Hey! Not fair!" Izumi exclaimed as she laughed while trying not to fall right on top of Tobirama.

"I never said I was fair though did it?"

She laughed, leaving the man underneath her breathless from how beautiful he thought she was. Tobirama reached a hand up to hold her cheek, causing her to slowly stop laughing, noticing the change in the air.

Now Izumi was the one that was left breathless when she saw the amount of emotion in his eyes. She leaned down and closed the distance between them with her lips, feeling the soft, but rough ones of Tobirama's.

They both didn't hold back; the two missed each others company, their stolen kisses and hugs by the river. Izumi was the first to pull away, but only because she was out of breath. She placed her forehead against his and looked into his eyes. She suddenly felt tired and moved her face to the right to yawn, something that didn't go unnoticed by him, without asking she moved her head to where it could rest comfortably on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and leaned his head against the pillow that was conveniently right behind him.

"Tobirama?" Izumi asked, her voice revealing how tired she was.

"Hmm?"

"Please don't leave." She whispered into his shirt. His arms tightened around her and with the up and down motion of his chest, it slowly lulled her to sleep. Right before Tobirama was also pulled into the lulls of sleep he whispered his answer to Izumi.

"I'll never leave you."

* * *

If you had walked into Izumi's house a few hours later, you would have seen the younger brother of the Hokage and the younger sister of the Uchiha Clan Head in deep sleep; Izumi was lying down on her front, her head on Tobirama's left arm and facing the same direction he was . Tobirama's other arm wrapped around her back and over the side of the couch, barely keeping Izumifrom falling off. He himself was lying on his side, unconsciously making more room for Izumi. Their faces and bodies showed how much at peace they both were, it showed how comfortable they were both with each other.

If you looked at their faces you would have noticed the small smiles they both had.

* * *

**A/N: **_I FINALLY FINISHED! YESSSSS! God, I fucking __**HATE **__finals and having to study for them. AND I AM STUDYING (To a certain someone that I happen to know and go to school with.)_

_I hope you guys like this chapter! I know the one year time skip was a BIG one but in all honesty I didn't really have any idea on how to write about the founding of Konoha so if you guys were hoping for that then...I'm sorry! But not to worry, the next chapter will interact with the village a lot more! The last part with Izumi and Tobirama cuddling is based on pictures I saw by searching up 'cuddling' in Google images. If you couldn't understand then look up those and then you will! Those pictures helped me describe their cuddle scene if it wasn't too confusing Dx_

_OMG THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE FOLLOWS/FAVORITES/REVIEWS that you guys have given to this story! I LOVE YOU GUYS! It makes me so happy and like a warm and fuzzy inside xD This story isn't over yet so stick around! _

_I have finals the whole week next week so don't expect any updates! After that is summer break which means I'll have enough time to actually start working on both of my stories! Yay for no school and summer!_

_So I finished this one book in like one day (during school actually) and it is __**A Court of Thorns and Roses **__by __**Sarah J. Maas**__. I already recommended one story, I think it's the first one actually but she came out with a new one and I WAS IMMEDIETLY HOOKED! YESSS!_

_So that's about it! Other than that don't forget to review and follow/favorite if you haven't!_

_Until next time!~_

_[This story is very unedited, please forgive the author (me) for any mistakes!]_


	18. Konoha

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S AND MY PLOTS.

* * *

"**Stars, too, are time travelers. How many of those ancient points of light were the last echoes of suns now dead? How many had been born but their light not yet come this far? If all the suns but ours collapsed tonight, how many lifetimes would it take for us to realize that we were alone? I had always known the sky was full of mysteries- but not until now had I realized how full of them the earth was."**

Ransom Riggs, _Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children_

* * *

**Konoha**

* * *

_**February 10**_

**_10:30 A.M._**

* * *

Izumi walked down the path of stands selling an assortment of things; it went from decorations for houses to sake for adults. Children from both the Senju and Uchiha clans ran around and past her, screaming with joy as they played games children would play together. This new generation of children wouldn't know the hardships of the battlefield, of war.

And in all honesty? Izumi didn't know how to feel about this.

Of course she was happy about this; she always thought it was a cruel thing, sending out children to battle only to watch them die. She had seen countless of them die, many of them too young to even know the taste of sake, too young to know the warmth of a first kiss, a first love.

But Izumi was also conflicted. In her generation -and the one right below hers- they had to grow up early, never to know the innocence of being a child. No one would survive a battle if they hesitated. No matter what age, you had to be able to thrust that sword if you wanted to live, if you wanted to survive long enough to see the light of the next day.

That, was how most learned.

The one's who didn't learn it that way were dead.

That's why seeing these children running around free without the burden of their decisions on their shoulders caused Izumi to not know how to feel.

And Madara didn't even _want_ all of this. The peace that came with no battles, the happiness of knowing that a loved one would come home _alive _and not as some...weapon or identification tag. Izumi knew that deep down Madara wasn't happy, but then again, being forced to sign a peace treaty with someone you hated would do that to someone. Despite all the forced smiles and fake talks about how he's finally happy, Izumi couldn't help but feel sorry for Madara. The choices he made were always for the good of the Uchiha Clan, no matter how cruel or cold-hearted it would look to someone. Not to mention the warning that Connie had given her a year ago, it still was fresh in her mind. The panic in her face, the fear in her eyes. This alone had scared Izumi.

She had listened to Connie and watched her brother for something off, but in the past few months he had not changed, the only thing different was that Madara was more stressed than ever because of meetings and paperwork for Konohagakure.

Konohagakure -or Konoha for short- was what they called the new village. Village Hidden in the Leaves... She thought that it was an ideal name for the village. After all, the place that many called their new home was surrounded by a large forest while only one section of the village wasn't. That was where the large cliff was and this wouldn't be _just _a cliff for long. It was already in the process, a large carving of Senju Hashirama face was being created for being the Hokage, the village's leader.

"Izumi-sama?" A voice startled Izumi out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw a little girl giving her a shy smile.

"Hello." She gave the girl a smile and bend down to her height. "What's your name?" She asked.

"I-I'm Akane."

"Well Akane-chan, what can I do for you?" She asked. Akane suddenly moved her hands from her back.

"I p-picked a flower for you!" She handed Izumi a daisy with a large smile on her face. "I thought you might l-like it Izumi-sama."

Izumi took the small daisy from the little girl's hand and laughed. "Thank you, it's very pretty."

"Y-You're welcome." Akane started fidgeting, suddenly becoming nervous in front of the Uchiha Matriarch.

"I'm going to tell you a secret." Her eyes widened.

"R-Really?"

Izumi nodded her head and placed her hand on Akane's head. "Today's my birthday." She ruffled the girl's hair. "This beautiful flower is the first gift I have received today."

"R-Really? Doesn't that mean it's also Izuna-sama's birthday today too?"

A flash of pain- a different kind compared to her current headache -went through Izumi but she hid it from the girl, there was no point in showing her something that she may experience in the near future. "Yes, it would have been his birthday today too." She stood up and gave one last smile to Akane.

"H-Happy birthday!"

"Thank you Akane-chan. I have to go now but I hope I will meet you soon." Izumi tucked the daisy behind her ear and moved to walk away, but was immediately stopped when Akane gave her a hug.

"I hope you have a great day Izumi-sama!" The girl pulled away and ran off, probably to where her friends were. Smiling in that direction she turned around and continued walking to her destination.

* * *

Izumi walked past the Naka Shrine only to stop when she saw her older brother walking into it. The shrine was barely used; the only people to use it were Madara and the Elders as a meeting place for consulting Clan matters. If Izumi thought about it, the shrine itself was actually new, the only thing that was actually old was the stone that contained undecipherable carvings on it. That thing was _ancient_.

But what was Madara doing, going in their alone? If Izumi remembered correctly, the meetings Madara and the Elders had were held only three times a week and she knew _for sure_ that today was not that day.

So what was Madara doing?

Izumi concealed her chakra and followed her brother into the shrine. She personally had never set foot in there so she didn't know the layout of it. That's why she was confused to see the place empty, showing no signs that her brother was _just _here.

"What the hell..." She looked around and saw nothing out of place, there was no window or door that would let Madara leave the shrine.

Wait, Izumi saw something off along the tatami flooring. One of them wasn't fitting where it was supposed to. It was slightly...open? With light and quiet footsteps that only a trained shinobi could have, she walked over to it and lifted up the mat. Just like she thought, it was a secret passage.

But to what?

Izumi could sense her brother's chakra down where this passage probably leads too. Should she...follow? But what would happen if she didn't like what she saw? '_Connie? If you're listening I could really use your help.' _She asked to herself. This idea may not work by a long-shot but what else could Izumi do? It's not like she had anyone to ask because if you haven't noticed, she's all alone.

There was a few second of silence before Izumi heard a familiar voice in her mind. _'__**Well, this is a first.**__' _A flash of actual pain in her head startled her when Connie answered.

_'Connie!' _She tightened her grip on the tatami mat. '_Should I go down the passage? I remember you telling me that I need to watch for weird things and I think this is probably the weirdest thing so far.'_

_'__**Go. You may be able to stop Madara from before he even starts.**__' _Placing the mat on the floor next to the entrance she dropped down quietly and started walking. '_**I'll be here the whole time.**__'_

The passage was actually a really short one and it led to another entrance on the floor. But this entrance led to where Madara was, Izumi could tell because her brother's chakra was strongest right below her. Also, she could hear her brother talking, but with what?

Well, here goes nothing.

Quietly dropping down in the hole, Izumi took a step back from shock. "M-Madara?"

Her older brother whirled around, along with a black humanoid creature next to him. Madara's eyes widened and for some reason, his Eternal Mangekyō was activated. "What are you doing here Izumi?"

"That should be _my_ question." Taking out the kunai she always kept with her, Izumi pointed to the...black thing next to Madara. '_**That thing is Zetsu! That's what I wanted you to be careful about!**__'_

_'Kinda busy at the moment Connie.'_

"What _is_ that thing?"

"Madara-sama, she has seen me." The black thing- Zetsu -spoke in a taut voice. That thing's didn't sound right, it was too rough.

It just _wasn't_ human.

"She cannot know what we are doing."

Sensing a threat, Izumi didn't hesitate to activate her Sharingan. "Brother, what is happening?"

"Madara-sama, you must wipe her memories of the past hour."

"What?! I cannot do that to my own sibling Zetsu!" Izumi was actually becoming...scared. She was no match against her brother, Sharingan or not, and if that thing was going to help, she was screwed to the moon and back.

"You must."

'_**Izumi, get away from here! You must not let your brother wipe your memory!**__'_

Taking one last look at the two in front of her she looked up and summoned her chakra to jump up, back into the passage and out of the shrine.

"Madara, I'm sorry-"

Hands were suddenly on her shoulders and making her look into a face that she would know anywhere. "No Izumi, I'm sorry." Madara's Mangekyō flashing, she made the mistake of looking straight into them. The last thing she could hear was a voice screaming in her mind.

Izumi suddenly went limp. Madara quickly caught his sister and laid her on the ground gently. "This was the right thing to do Madara-sama." Zetsu said.

"How?" He looked at the black creature. "I just used my Sharingan on my sister to wipe her memory."

"For the right thing." Zetsu walked over to the stone monument and placed his hands on it. "This will save the world Madara-sama."

While the two talked, Izumi's eyes fluttered open. '_Where...am I?' _Sensing something was off Izumi stayed where she was, assessing her location by looking around.

'_**Izumi, do you remember what happened in the past hour?**__'_

_'...Connie?'_

_'__**I'm going to take that as a no then. It doesn't matter, you need to go back to sleep Izumi.**__'_

_'But-'_

_'__**Sleep, I'll explain everything later.**__'_ For some reason Izumi couldn't help but follow the orders Connie made. Closing her eyes, she let herself fall back into the clutches of unconsciousness.

* * *

Izumi's eyes shot open and she quickly sat up, only for her to wince because of the headache she still wasn't used too. She fell back onto her bed-

Her bed? How did she get back to her bed? The last thing she remembered was walking down the marketplace. Pushing the blanket off of her she stood up and looked outside to see the sun still high up in the sky. It was noon.

"Izumi?" She heard a voice in her living room. Pushing a hand against the side of her head she walked out.

"Tobirama? What are you doing here?" She asked as she pulled out a cup.

He walked over to the kitchen and near her. "Hashirama was asking for you."

"I'll...be there." Izumi raised the cup of water to her lips, trying to ignore the pulses of pain in her head.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm...fine-"

_Crash_

Izumi fell to the ground, her cup of water falling onto the ground and shattering. "Izumi!" Tobirama shot forward and carefully picked Izumi up. She was moaning with what he thought was pain. Could it be because of her head? He remembered her telling him that she got headaches a lot and had a dull ache in her head everyday.

Tobirama used his Hiraishin to teleport to his brother, sure that there was no one there.

"Ah, Tobirama-" Hashirama's eyes widened and he quickly stood up from his chair in the Hokage tower. "What's wrong?"

"I went to get her like you asked but she suddenly fainted." Hashirama walked over to where he was carrying Izumi. "Please do something!"

Tobirama was known throughout the Shinobi Nations for being cold, unemotional in battle. He was one of the best shinobi's of his generation. He was composed, he kept his emotions in check, he never letting them get the best of him. Hashirama has never seen Tobirama act the way he was at the moment. His brother was...scared.

He was scared because of a girl_, _not a battle, not death. A _girl_.

"Tobirama, let me see her." Tobirama placed her on the couch and took a step back. Looking at her, Hashirama knew that the cause of her pain was because of her head. He placed his hand on her head and flowed the iryo-ninjutsu into her head and brain to soothe the overacting nerves. Immediately Izumi's face and body relaxed, the pain gone. "She should be fine now."

Tobirama let out a relieved sigh and sat down on the extra chair next to the couch. "Thank Kami."

Hashirama sat back down in his chair behind his desk. "Are you okay Tobirama?"

"Yes Brother, I'm fine now."

"You were worried for her, weren't you?"

Tobirama looked up at him. "Of course Brother! I..."

"You what?" Hashirama questioned.

"I...care for her greatly." His little brother answered quietly. "No one knows about us besides you Brother. You can't tell_ anyone_. I'm surprised no one questioned the both of us after the fall."

"Don't worry Tobirama. Your secret's safe with me. It has been for the past two years after all."

* * *

Izumi groaned and forced her eyes to open. Blue skies and soft grass welcomed her, slightly confusing her before she realized where she was. "Connie?"

"_I'm...right here._" Izumi pulled herself up from the ground and walked over to where the blonde was sitting. "_You don't remember what happened."_

She shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"_Tell me what's happened to you today."_

"Okay?" Izumi recalled her day, stopping when she realized she had a blank space in-between her stopping in front of the Naka Shrine and her seeing Tobirama-

"I fainted! Tobirama was in my house and then-"

"_You're fine. I _need_ to show you what happened between that blank hour." _Connie stood up and placed her hands on Izumi's head. "_I'm sorry but this one's going to hurt."_

"Wait-"

White hot pain shot through her mind as she saw images of her brother and Zetsu next to him. She saw images of her brother erasing her memory.

"_Are you okay?"_

Izumi numbingly nodded her head, shocked that her brother would do something like that. And for what? Just because she saw him looking at that dumb stone?

Who the hell does something like that to their own sibling?

"Can I go back? I need time to...think about it."

"_You can't confront your brother about this. You have to act just like normal around him." _Connie looked into her eyes. "_Promise?"_

"Yeah." Giving her a smile, Izumi closed her eyes and woke up.

The first thing she realized was that she wasn't at her house anymore. She was lying on something too hard, too uncomfortable. Izumi opened her eyes and slowly sat up, shocked to see Hashirama.

"Hashirama?"

"Ah, Izumi-chan! How are you?"

Taken back, she looked around and realized that she was in the Hokage office. "I'm...fine. My head doesn't hurt right now."

"Good." Hashirama continued reading papers on his desk. "What happened?"

"There was just this...pain in my head." She lied smoothly. "The last thing I remembered was seeing Tobirama in my house."

"Really?" Hashirama slammed his hands on the desk. "I don't like being lied to Izumi."

"I don't know what-"

"I found traces of your brother's chakra while I healed you. Why?" Izumi was taken aback from the force behind his question.

"W-Why?" She couldn't help but feel a little afraid since he was after all, quite _scary_.

"Because I actually happen to like you and your brother." Hashirama sighed and rubbed his head, breaking his calm facade. "Izumi, Madara has been neglecting his duties lately and I want to know why."

Hearing this Izumi quickly stood up, ignoring her body's protest. "_What?!"_

"Wait, you didn't know?"

She shook her head. "No, I didn't. How long has this been going on?"

Hashirama leaned back in his chair and thought for a few seconds. "About five months."

"_Five_ months- Oh Kami, why wasn't I paying better attention?" Izumi asked herself. She had been watching him for the past year and she didn't see anything out of the ordinary!

'_**Are you sure? Look at the little details, one that usually won't stand out.**__' _

She remembered her memories of seeing her brother and that was when Izumi realized that she had not been paying too much attention like she had told herself she was. There were little things like arriving late to meetings, looking tired and being skinnier than before. Being more irritable and twitchy.

"Do you know why Izumi?"

She shook her head. "I can't think of any reason to why he would be doing any of this." Well Izumi actually did know why but she didn't actually want to _tell_ Hashirama.

"Well, going back to the earlier conversation-"

"Izumi!" The door to the office suddenly slammed open, revealing an out of breath Madara.

"Madara?" Both Hashirama and Izumi asked.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go back home then." Madara walked over to here and grabbed her shoulders.

"Madara-"

"If you excuse us Hashirama."

"Don't forget the meeting with the Sarutobi tomorrow at eight!"

Madara quickly lead them out of the building, ignoring Izumi's protests until they reached her house.

"Goddamn it Madara let me go!" Izumi finally pulled away from her brother's grip and glared at him. "What is your problem?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that I wasn't allowed to worry for my sister."

"Hashirama _healed_ me, you didn't have to treat him as if he had interrogated me!"

"I was worried okay?" Madara sighed and that was when Izumi fully realized how tired he seemed. He was too pale and dark bags under his eyes.

"He told me that you weren't going to meetings and that you were neglecting your duties." Izumi softened her tone. "Is something going on Madara?"

He shook his head. "Everything's fine. Well it seems like you're fine so I'll be taking my leave."

"Wait-" Her protest fell on deaf ears. Her brother quickly shunshined out of her house, leaving her alone to her own thoughts.

* * *

**_11 P.M._**

* * *

Izumi's legs dangled over the cliff that overlooked the village. Two sake cups were on the ground next to her, one full and another empty.

"Happy birthday to us Izuna." She whispered into the wind. Her hair was down, letting her feel the coldness of the air brush against her scalp. Refilling the empty cup, she picked it up and lifted it up. "Cheers." Quickly downing the sake for the second time, she placed the cup back next to the filled one. "You've missed another again little brother." Izumi let out a dark laugh before turning her head up to stare at the moon and the stars. "You would have been 20 today."

They were so old for shinobi standards. Both Izumi and her twin had survived the standard age for death. Her brother had outlived it by six years until his death while she outlived it by eight years (and counting).

12, that was the standard age. _12_ was when most died, that was too young. _Too young._

Izumi felt tears falling from her eyes but she didn't care. She thought she had the right to be emotional today, if Izuna was alive he would be next to her celebrating their 20th birthday together.

She closed her eyes and let the wind calm her down. Many minutes went by until Izumi felt a slight shift in the air behind her.

"Hello Tobirama."

"What are you doing here alone in the middle of the night?"

Izumi grabbed the empty cup and showed it to Tobirama. "I'm celebrating my birthday."

"That was what I figured you were doing." He sat down next to her.

"I'm finally 20." She whispered, looking down at her hands. "Most people are happy about surviving until this age. They say that they survived, that they've accomplished something." She clenched her kimono in her hands. "It doesn't feel like an accomplishment to me. Not when the person I share my birthday with is dead."

Tobirama couldn't stand the awkward silence that came after what she said, so he grabbed Izumi's hand and pulled her up. For some reason Tobirama always changed in front of her. He became more social, more...human -or so his brother put it.

"What are you doing Tobirama?"

"We're going to dance. Do you know how to?" He asked with a cocky grin.

"Of course I do!" Izumi spluttered. "Besides, there's nothing to dance too."

"Well that's why you just imagine it." She let him lead them in something similar to a slow dance but it was _very_ awkward at first.

"This isn't working Tobirama!" She said, amusement in her voice.

"Well we just have to make it more fun then don't we?" He picked Izumi up into the air, causing her to place her hands on his shoulders while they both turned in a circle. Her hair fell across his face but he didn't care,

As long as there was a smile on Izumi's face.

Tobirama carefully set her back down on the ground, Izumi was laughing the whole time and her mood seemed to happier.

While they were dancing, Tobirama's older brother happened to be spying on them. It was only because he was worried for his brother. But as he watched them dance under the moonlight and the stars, he realized that what they had was _real. _A type of love that he still hasn't had the privilege of having. Hashirama didn't stay for long, he actually left when he felt a change in the air.

Within the few minutes he wasn't paying attention, Izumi had gotten closer to Tobirama; her head was under Tobirama's chin while his arms had wrapped around her body. They were moving to a song that only the two lovers could hear. Taking one last look, Hashirama left with a smile on his face.

"Happy birthday Izumi."

Izumi looked up at Tobirama, she gave him a loving smile. "You're the second person to say that to me today."

"Really?"

"Yeah, not even my brother said happy birthday to me." She said quite forlorn.

"Who beat me to it then?"

Izumi laughed and pulled out a slightly crushed daisy from the inside of her kimono. "A little girl by the name of Akane." She rested her head against Tobirama's chest. "She was so cute Tobirama."

"Do you like children?"

"I've always loved them. They're so cute and small, the littlest thing can make them happy." Izumi smiled to herself. "I want children of my own one day though. Then, I would've lived a full life." She knew that this was a dangerous topic to go into, especially with Tobirama, but she just felt like telling him. He didn't say anything though, but the fast beating of his heart and the tightening of his arms gave Izumi enough of an answer.

* * *

**A/N:**_ NO MORE SCHOOL PEOPLE! YES! That means more writing! I'm quite happy with that because I have so much planned for this story and I just can't wait to write about it!_

_I think I've passed the stage of leaving cliffhangers at the end of chapters. I've realized that I like to end chapters with fluff! Go me! But it's not going to stay that way for long because *dun dun duhhhhh* Madara, the Kyuubi, and Hashirama fighting will come up soon! Not in the next chapter but idk soon._

_I can't believe how many followers, favorites, and reviews this story has gotten! It makes me so so happy I don't know how I can show it! If I could meet with every single one of you guys I would hug you and kiss you right on the spot!_

_So for some reason I always imagine Tobirama kinda being a cocky, confident guy, is that only me? Idk but I think that makes him like, stronger for some reason. *shrugs* Oh well._

_**Thirteen Reasons Why **__by __**Jay Asher**__ is the recommendation. I know that it was quite a big deal in my school during Middle School, you had to ask to hold it if you wanted to read it! But this book was really deep and made me, personally, think. It gave me a shocking sense of reality. But hey, I think you should go read it._

_Please leave a review and a follow/fav. if you haven't already!_

_Until next time!~_

_[It might be a little confusing and choppy so please forgive me!]_


	19. Betrayal

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO AND ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

"**The darkness became his ally, and with every passing night he had come to the conclusion that he had lost a piece of himself in his past, a piece he continues to scavenge for in all the broken souls he crosses paths with."**

Unknown

* * *

**Betrayal**

Making sure that she had everything, Izumi walked out of her house, determined to not let her brother soil the Uchiha name. How dare he not do his duties as Clan Head! How _dare_ he!

Izumi was mad. No, she was beyond mad, she was enraged.

It wasn't just the fact that her brother had forgotten her birthday yesterday (and Izuna's), it was the fact the he had the _nerve_ to try to erase her memories. It was the fact that he _neglected _his clan and the people that cared for him. She had wanted to talk to him about it today but decided against it after having a slight argument with Connie.

Izumi let out a sigh, which caught the attention of a young Uchiha that was most _definitely_ not following her.

"Izumi-sama, is everything okay?" She turned around and saw the same little girl from yesterday with her hands behind back.

"Akane-chan!"

The little girl gave Izumi a shy smile before rocking back on her heels. "Did you have a good birthday yesterday?"

Izumi kneeled down and playfully pushed the girl's little nose. "I had the _best_ because of your gift."

Akane's eyes widened and her face turned red. "R-Really?"

"Yes." Quickly ruffling her hair Izumi stood up. "I wish I could talk with you longer, but I have a meeting to go to. I hope to see you again Akane-chan!"

Letting out a cute giggle, Akane nodded her head and bowed before running away.

Shaking her head, Izumi continued walking towards the Hokage Tower.

When she reached the building, she realized that there was an hour before the meeting with the Sarutobi Clan started.

"Hashirama." Izumi greeted the Hokage respectfully as she opened the door. She didn't bother saying hello to Tobirama since she knew he had sensed her arrival. He stood in the room, reading a scroll that Hashirama had handed him.

"Ah Izumi-chan, what can I do for you?"

Izumi quickly looked around to see if maybe, _just_ maybe, her brother was here. "Madara wouldn't happen to be here right?"

"That brother of yours hasn't set foot in this room for a meeting in weeks." Tobirama said monotone from behind the scroll that he was still reading. Izumi knew that when he was focused, he tend to get a little..._unemotional._

"Why am I not surprised." Putting on a smile for the two Senju's in the room, she clapped her hands together with forced cheerfulness. "Well, I heard from one of the Elders and you about the meeting with the Sarutobi today. I hope that as the Clan Head's sister I can be enough in my brother's stead."

Hashirama quickly stood up and ran to where she stood in front of the door. "Thank you so much!" He gave her a hug, shocking the Uchiha. "You may have just saved this meeting!"

She let out an awkward laugh and patted Hashirama on the back. "It's my pleasure to help this village. Um...if you don't mind, could you please let go of me?"

"Oh yes! Of course, sorry."

"It's fine." Izumi fixed her armor and looked around. "Was it just the Uchiha and Senju they wanted to meet up with?"

"Yes. I have no clue to why they would only request two clans, I had thought that they would like to meet with the other major clans that reside in Konoha now." Tobirama answered, placing the scroll back on Hashirama's desk.

"That _is_ weird..." She thought about what they could possible want with the Clan only when the sound of a sigh broke her out of her thoughts.

"Brother, I think we shouldn't accept this invitation, it is too suspicious." Izumi continued standing there, slightly confused by the sudden change of topic until she realized Tobirama was now talking about what he had just read.

"Tobirama, it's fine. We need to establish a relationship with the new Hidden Villages and this one happens to recognize that fact." Realizing that she had nothing to do with their conversation, she quietly sat down on one of the couches in the room. She pulled out a scroll that she had stolen from her brother's house and quickly started reading it.

What the scroll contained was just the monthly spending's used by the Clan, it wasn't anything of _great_ importance but what Izumi noticed was that there was a request for more houses, but without Madara's stamp of approval, the buildings would not be able to be built. '_Damn that brother of mine-_'

"Izumi, can you go?"

She looked up at the two men in the room, not aware of their conversation before she was included in it suddenly. "Yes?" She hoped that it was the right answer to whatever Hashirama had asked.

"Great! Well then it's settled Tobirama, nothing to worry about now."

"Brother-"

"We'll talk about this more later, the Sarutobi have arrived!"

* * *

_**Two hours later…**_

* * *

Bowing to the last Sarutobi in the room, Izumi was relieved to know that the meeting was over. "Well, that went a lot better than what I had expected." Hashirama said with a tired sigh. "You really helped us Izumi."

"No, you two are the ones that did most of the talking. I just sat there, placing my input every few minutes." Izumi smiled and carelessly fell onto the couch. "But wow, I am _tired_. Meetings are a pain -no offense to you Hashirama."

"None taken."

"Brother, we need to go back to the conversation from earlier-"

"Oh yeah, about that!" Izumi interrupted. She quickly stood up and walked over to where the two brothers stood. "What did I actually agree on?"

Tobirama opened his mouth to say something but Hashirama beat him to it. "You and Tobirama will be the representatives of Konoha at the newest Hidden Village called Kirigakure in the Land of Water."

"...Oh."

Hashirama waved his hand in front of his face casually. "Of course the meeting won't be held for a few months but it doesn't hurt to be prepared." Izumi continued standing there, a _what have I done_ look on her face. "Well, he'll be going along so you don't have anything to worry about. Okay?" She nodded her head, still shocked at what she had agreed to.

About an hour passed by before Tobirama and Izumi left the room and it was only because Hashirama said he needed to finish some paperwork. "Bye Hashirama!" Izumi said quite cheerfully. She never knew why but after being in a room with him for the whole morning cheered her up a bit.

But her happy mood didn't last because the moment Tobirama and Izumi stepped out of the building, he immediately grabbed her arm and looked at her. "What are you-"

"Don't do the mission. Tell Hashirama that you can't accept it anymore."

Izumi looked up at the white-haired man, shock showing in her eyes. "What?"

"You heard me." Izumi made a sound of disbelief before trying to rip her arm out of his grasp.

"Because you just told me _not _to go, I _will _go."

"The Clans that make up that new village aren't ones a kunoichi should go too." She raised an eyebrow, confused. "Whenever we fought those Clans, we never allowed our kunoichis to fight, they were only allowed if they accompanied a large group of...men for reasons that you probably know." He tried pleading with her with his eyes. Could she not see the worry, the desperation?

"Are you doubting my skills as a kunoichi?"

"Of course not-"

"Then I will have you know that I can keep up with my older brother in a spar." She narrowed her eyes. "If I can do that, I think I can handle a group of horny men Tobirama." She countered. She wanted to say more but when she leaned a little to the side, Izumi noticed a brown haired boy walking towards them.

"Hey-"

"Tobirama-Sensei! Is that you?" Tobirama's eyes widened in disbelief before his face was wiped of any emotion.

"Don't say anything, okay?" He whispered to her before quickly turning around to face the boy.

"It _is _you!"

"Hiruzen, why are you here?" The boy, Hiruzen, ran up to them with a large smile on his face.

"My mother and father are one of the first groups out of the Sarutobi to move here! Isn't this exciting?" He looked up at Tobirama, awe and respect in his eyes.

Sarutobi? Since when was Tobirama a teacher? Izumi never heard about him teaching anybody, let alone non-Senju.

"Uh Sensei?"

"Yes?"

"Who's the person standing behind you?" Seeing that this was her cue to introduce herself, she quickly moved in front of Tobirama and gave the brown-haired boy a smile.

"Hi Hiruzen-kun, I'm Izumi."

The boy's eyes widened and a few seconds of silence passed as he took in her appearance. Black hair and eyes, pale skin. The Uchiha symbol on her armor. "Y-You're an-"

"Uchiha? Yes, I am." She patted Tobirama's arm, shooting a glare at the white-haired man. It must come to a shock to some people when they were seen together since Tobirama was known to not like the Uchiha's. There have been nasty rumors of how Izumi was sleeping with him, but both of them ignored those lies and continued to stay as...whatever they were. "We've set aside our differences quite a while ago if that's what you're wondering." Almost three years ago too, but Hiruzen didn't need to know that.

"Oh..." The boy suddenly smiled. "You're _very_ pretty so I hope to get to know you better!" After saying this he ran off towards the direction he had come from. Izumi, taken back by what he just said, took a step back and into Tobirama's chest.

"That's your student?" She furrowed her eyebrows before turning around because of something she realized. "Wait, so the Senju had a treaty with the Sarutobi?"

"Yes." Tobirama grimaced when the memory of meeting the Sarutobi boy three years ago.

"Judging by that face you must not have a great memory of him."

"No, he's just very…_loud_." Deciding to be bold, Izumi patted his cheek and started walking away.

"What-"

"I need to go, I have to watch over Kagami for the day." Not bothering to turn around she threw her hand up in the air as a goodbye. "I'll be at Kazuyo's house!"

Realizing that she had avoided their earlier conversation (or argument in her mind), Tobirama stood their, disbelief in his face.

He had been _tricked! _"The conversation is not over yet Izumi!"

"Of course it's not!" She mocked before jumping away.

* * *

"Hey Kazuyo?" Izumi knocked on her best friend's door, but there was no answer. "Kazuyo?" She placed her hand on the doorknob and twisted only to be shocked when it opened. '_Unlocked? She never leaves the door like this, even if she was home_.' She was starting to worry. "I'm coming in!" Pushing it open, the first thing that Izumi registered was that it was dark. For as long as she's known Kazuyo, Izumi knew that the woman hated the dark.

When her eyes adjusted to the dark, Izumi walked down the hallway and into the living room. She let out a gasp when she saw the two people crumpled on the floor, unconscious. "Kazuyo, Kagami!" She shot forward and fell to her knees, checking for any blood on the mother and son.

"They're fine, I only knocked them out." Recognizing the voice, her head flew up to see her older brother standing there, clad in his battle armor. "I need to talk to you-"

"By knocking out Kazuyo and Kagami?" She stood up and walked in front of the two to protect them if need be. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He started pacing. "I knew that you were going to their house today so I figured I could talk to you then."

"You could've just walked into my house and asked, it was that simple Madara."

He moved quickly in front of her and gripped the sides of her arms. "I _can't_, we're being watched!"

Izumi quickly realized that her usually clam and stoic brother was...unstable. "Madara-"

"Come with me."

"...What?"

"Leave this place; we'll create a better world." Madara shook her. "I know _how! _We'll be back with Father and Mother, with Arata and Katsumi!" His grip on her arms tightened; she had to hold back a whimper from the pain that he was inflicting on her, both physically and mentally. "We can be reunited with _Izuna_, isn't that what you want? For your twin to be back with you?"

She shook her head. "That's impossible! They've all passed away, there's no jutsu in this world that can make them come back!"

"But there is, all you have to do is come with me."

"I-I can't, there's too much here-" She knew that that was the wrong thing to say when she saw her brother's face turn to a scowl. He pushed her away and balled his hands into a fist.

"It's that damn _Senju_, isn't it?" He pressed a fist against his eye, as if he was in pain. "_Isn't it?!"_

"What are you talking about?" Izumi feigned innocence. Despite looking calm, she was oh so desperately trying to calm her racing heart. How had her brother found out? They were so careful-

"I know you're wondering why I know, aren't you little sister?

"W-What?"

Madara started laughing, making Izumi doubt her brother's mental stability at the moment. "Stupid, stupid, _stupid!" _He moved his hands from his face and that was when she noticed his eyes. Instead of the usual cold, hard brown she was so used too, her brother's eyes were red with the Mangekyō Sharingan. "We were always watching, you know? But you betrayed us when you..._kissed_ that Senju!"

"You don't understand-"

"I don't care Izumi." He seemed to take a breath to calm himself. "All will be forgiven, all you have to do is come with me."

Izumi looked down to the two fallen figures on the ground. The conflicted look on Kazuyo's unconscious face and the innocence in Kagami's made her even more confused. "I..." And when an image of a smiling Tobirama flashed in her mind, Izumi realized that she couldn't just…leave. What would happen if she did? She could imagine Kazuyo and Kagami sadness at her leave.

Izumi could even imagine Tobirama's look of betrayal if she followed after her brother. "I _can't,_ I'm finally happy Madara, isn't that enough for all of us?" She turned her eyes to her brother. "There are no more wars, no pointless deaths." Her voice raised. "If I leave with you now, what will you do? Will you destroy this peace that we've _finally _managed to grasp?" She quickly glanced at Kazuyo and her nephew. "You know what Izuna told Kazuyo before he died?"

"...What?"

"He wished for peace. He held no grudge for the Senju, despite what they had done to him and our family. He wished for _peace_, Madara, not war!" Izumi grabbed her brother shirt and brought him down to her face. "Do you hear yourself right now? Are you the same brother that brought me warm milk when I couldn't sleep at night? Are you still the same brother that gave me rides on his back when I was feeling down?" She could feel the tears filling up in her eyes. "A-And you _dare_ to destroy this peace; you are practically _disgracing_ Izuna's death! His death would have been for nothing! Father's would have been for nothing! Arata, Katsumi, their deaths would have meant nothing!" She even dared to bring up a name that would she knew would pain Madara. "Koizumi would be ashamed of the man standing in front of me."

"Don't you dare say her name!" Her brother roared. In a blink of an eye, he grabbed her arm in one hand and the side of her face in another.

"What are you-"

"I will erase all memories regarding Konoha and the happiness that you associate it with. If I do this, then you will have no choice _but_ to come with me." Madara gave her a smirk that she knew didn't belong on her bother's face. "Can't forget about your little boy toy, now can we? All those memories, gone."

"N-No!" Izumi tried to pull away from Madara's hands, but he was too strong compared to her. Realizing that he was going to do the same thing he did to her yesterday, she didn't make the same mistake of looking into his eyes.

"Make this easier on you and open your eyes." She shook her head, trying desperately to think of something. The only thing she could think of was that Tobirama had listened to her earlier and decided to meet her here, at Kazuyo's house. That's why Izumi did something that she never thought she would ever do, she screamed for _him._

"TOBIRAMA!"

As soon as her scream died down, Madara started laughing. "You think he can hear you? Why do you also think I chose this place to confront you Izumi? We're located at the absolute back of the compound with no neighbors."

She continued struggling against her brother's grip because she could not -_would_ not let him erase her memories, especially of Konoha, a place that she regards as home now. "Please Madara-"

"Let her go!" Her brother's grip suddenly faltered at the sudden shout that belong to the man that she loved (not that she had said that to him yet). Feeling Madara's hands disappear, she opened her eyes to see a blue armor and a black shirt underneath it.

"Tch, this has become quite a problem." Her brother took a step back and for once throughout this whole ordeal Izumi noticed...guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry Izumi." He whispered, a totally different character from a minute ago. Without another word, he left the house.

"Are you okay?" Tobirama asked, turning around in a speed unbeaten by others. Izumi numbingly nods her head, shock setting in.

That man was not her brother, he was a stranger to her eyes.

"Izumi?" His voice sounded so far away, but she looked up again to see the handsome face of her lover.

"...I'm sorry." She apologized in a voice barely audible.

Tobirama placed a hand on her cheek. "For what?"

She looked down at her hands. "M-Maybe if I had noticed sooner-"

He shook his head and forced her to look at him. "No Izumi, don't blame yourself." Hearing those words for some reason caused something within Izumi to break, to crumble into irreparable pieces.

And for the third time since knowing Tobirama, she started crying because on this day, she had yet again, lost a loved one to the cruel being called Fate.

* * *

**A/N: **_So… I'm really sorry for this being like a week late. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! It's just that I started watching Fairy Tail (a bad mistake, I assure you) and I _finally_finished all the episodes. And not to mention, I have a slight writers block with this story because I can't really figure out how I want this to end._

_Last night I had to write down like the whole entire timeline of Naruto based on Hiruzen Sarutobi's age because his is like the only one that can actually help, you know? But even after I did that I just _can't_figure out how I'm going to fit in Tsunade as Hashirama's granddaughter.__That's why I'm going to make her his daughter, hope you don't mind! I realized this mistake yesterday. Wow I am stupid. But I will warn you that the first half of the chapter may seem...bad, and that's because I actually did have a writers block until the day before yesterday after I started the next chapter for _**_In Time_**_, my other story._

_I recommend __**The Paris Architect **__by __**Charles Belfoure. **__It's based on when the Nazis managed to take over Paris during World War II, and how one architect manages to save the lives of the Jewish people living in Paris._

_That's about it I guess. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!_

_Please leave a review and a follow/fav. if you haven't already!_

_Until next time!~_


	20. Love

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF IT'S CHARCTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

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**Some wounds cut us so deep that they stop us. Stop us from letting go, from growing up, from seeing the truth.**

Laurell K. Hamilton, _A Stroke Of Midnight_

* * *

**Love**

As soon as Izumi managed to get herself in control, she nodded her head to Tobirama. "I'm fine, we need to take these two to the hospital to make sure they're okay."

"You sure you're fine?"

"Yeah." Taking a deep breath, she walked over to Kagami and pointed to Kazuyo. "Could you carry her?"

"Sure." She knelt to the ground and carefully picked the little boy up and turned towards the door after making sure Kazuyo was secure in Tobirama's arms.

"...How did you know?" Izumi asked without turning around.

"I heard you."

"Oh." Finally turning her head, she was about to ask him another question when she saw the look on his face. "Tobirama?"

"Something's in the house-" His eyes suddenly widened before running to where she stood. "Get down!" A second later, Kazuyo's house exploded and the wind from it hit her. Quickly holding Kagami to her chest to protect him so her back was facing the hot flames. As soon as they died down, the sound of another explosion hit her.

"Where…?" Looking into the direction of where the sound came from, she almost fell to the ground.

It was her house.

Izumi ran towards Tobirama and placed Kagami in front of him. "W-Watch him, I'll be right back!"

"Wait-" Ignoring his warning, Izumi ran as fast as she could towards the house.

She needed to get there before everything burned down. She _had_ too, if not then-

No, it would be fine. All she had to do was reach it in time.

When Izumi finally saw her house, a cry left her mouth. Almost half of it was _gone_, the other was still burning. She pushed passed the surrounding neighbors and tried to storm into the house, but was stopped within five feet of the place; it was too hot to go in there without some sort of protection.

"No…" She fell to her knees, her hands hanging at her sides. The sudden grief and pain Izumi felt hit her like a tsunami, she couldn't help but slam her fists into the grass in front of her. "No...no!" Why? Why couldn't she do _anything-_

Wait, what the hell was she doing? She knew _water _jutsus.

Izumi stood up and went through handseals for one but stopped when she saw a large spray of water soared over her head and onto the house. She whirled her head around and saw Tobirama standing there doing a water jutsu. Izumi almost jumped on him at that moment, she was so happy that she could've kissed him right on the spot if it weren't for their current situation with the burning house. She turned back to watch as the water downed on her house, but she didn't see that Kazuyo was awake and carrying a still knocked out Kagami in her arms. She had awaken about five seconds after Izumi left to check on her house and had taken one look at her own and saw that there was nothing she could do to save it, that was how she managed to get Tobirama to rush over to where her best friend was.

As soon as he finished the water jutsu on Izumi's house, the flames had died down and the heat was to the point where Izumi would be able to withstand it for a few minutes. She ran in through the gigantic hole in what was her living room and went straight towards her room where all the things she was worried about the most. Breaking open the door to it, she quickly pulled her sleeves up to her mouth to block out the smoke and rushed to where her closet was.

Or, what remained of it. Half of it was burned down but luckily, it wasn't where the important stuff was. Ignoring the burning in her hand, Izumi pushed away one of the closet doors and searched for the box. She started crying again, her second time in less than an hour when she found it. Sensing that she only had another few seconds before the flames got stronger and makes the house collapse, she grabbed it and ran out of the house.

Izumi ran out at the perfect time because soon after, the house collapsed.

"What was so important that you almost had to risk your life for?" Kazuyo asked.

"These are the stuff that I brought over here from the old compound." Tightening her grip on the box, the only thing Izumi could do now was just watch as the hopes and dreams of peace burned away while the only thing that kept her sane was the warm hand on her back, comforting her.

* * *

"Are you sure it's okay if I stay here? I know the Senju don't like me and-"

"It's fine. If they have something against it, they'll have to talk to me about it." Izumi narrowed her eyes and walked into the house, still not sure about the decision she had made right on the spot a few minutes ago.

"If you say so. Don't blame me if you get some complaints about broken noses."

"_Izumi_."

She waved her hand at Tobirama and sat down in a dining chair. "I'll be on my best behavior." Izumi said before placing the box down onto the table. She sighed and it didn't go unnoticed by the man standing behind her.

"What's wrong?"

"I just can't...believe it, you know?" She did a dark laugh before continuing. "I lost my last brother _and_ my house. It's like my mind hasn't caught up to it yet." She brushed her hand on top of the box and after a few seconds, moved her hand to where the lock was. The only way to unlock it was to insert the chakra of the owner and that happened to be Izumi.

Inside of it was things Tobirama didn't expect. "What is all of that?"

She pulled out the large black sweater and that was when he noticed that she had a smile that only came with remembering fond memories. "It was Izuna's. That's why I couldn't just let it burn." Leaving it on her lap, she pulled out two of the smaller pieces of paper and flipped them over. "This one was a picture of my father and mother on their wedding day and this one was the family photo we all took a few months after we were born." He noticed that her mother wasn't in the photo on the right, it was only five children (including Izumi) and her father. "My mother died, giving birth to Izuna and I." She answered to his unspoken question.

Photos were so rare and expensive, that was another reason why she could leave it there to burn. These were the only things she had to remember how her family looked like. Taking one last look at the things she pulled out, Izumi started putting them away when a hand on hers stopped her. Tobirama was looking into the box, a confused look on his face.

"Why do you have a pile of rocks in here?"

Izumi blushed and hid her face. "It the thing you made for me when I was five. Obviously, the cloth that tied it together is gone but I don't know," She chuckled. "I just couldn't throw them away."

"That make-shift thing I made for you to pass the time?" He gave her an incredulous look. "You kept that?"

"Yeah." She closed the lid and stood up, a smile on her face. "Well, I don't want to intrude but obviously I'm going to be here for a while. Where's your bathroom? I want to take a bath if you don't mind."

"It's down the hall. You'll notice, the door is open."

"Thanks Tobirama." She walked up to him and gave him a quick hug before rushing away.

* * *

_**One year later…**_

* * *

"Hashirama, give me another mission."

"This is the fifth one in two weeks Izumi, don't you think you're doing too much?"

Izumi gave Hashirama a tired sigh before shaking her head. "It's fine. Don't you have other things to worry about, like getting married?"

He groaned and slammed his head onto his desk. "Please don't remind me, I've only met the poor girl once."

"You guys will be fine." She held out her hand. "Now, about a mission."

"Fine." Lifting his head up, Hashirama ruffled through the mess of papers on his desk and stopped at one a few seconds later. "I only have one but you'll need another person."

"I can probably do it alone-"

"No, it has to have two people. Unless you want to stop with the missions and get back to your Clan Head duties?" He asked, hopeful.

"I don't have to worry about that, unlike my brother, I have a Council that manages the paperwork."

When Izumi officially became the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan after her brother's defection from Konoha, she got rid of the traditional (and useless) Elders and established a group of hand-picked people she could trust to handle with the paperwork, so by the time paperwork reached her, it was only the important ones dealing with other clans and with the village itself.

Hashirama sighed. "But It's not just that, I'm worried for you. I think you're taking too many missions."

"You've said that already." She leaned forward and grabbed the scroll from his hand. "Well, I'll get someone-" She suddenly stopped talking and stiffened, not bothering to turn around when the door opened to reveal Hashirama's younger brother, Tobirama.

The temperature in the office went down by _many_ degrees. Izumi continued standing still, ignoring Tobirama and he doing the same. Hashirama knew immediately something bad had happened between the two.

But his younger brother _did_ ask if he could stay with him for a few days, why didn't something click in Hashirama's head sooner? They obviously had some sort of argument, resulting in the white-haired man to get kicked out of his own home.

...Maybe this mission could help with whatever happened between them.

"Perfect! You two can go on this mission!" Hashirama said happily, acting like everything was normal.

"No." Izumi quickly said.

"I'm busy." Tobirama tried handing him a scroll. "The eastern half of the village is requesting more buildings and there are more children than teachers, so we might have to ask some retired shinobi to start teaching-"

"Tobirama"

"And the hospital is requesting a few more supplies-"

"Tobirama!"

He sighed. "I can't go on this mission-"

"We wouldn't be well together for a mission." Izumi also said, trying to get the older Senju to change his mind.

"It doesn't matter, all the other shinobis are off doing missions, meeting with the smaller clans, or helping with construction." He gave them a smile. "Now, your mission."

"Brother-"

"I don't want to hear it."

"But Hashirama-"

"No." He grabbed the scroll from Tobirama's hands and shoved the mission one in it, ignoring the dumbfounded look on Izumi's face. "You can go over the mission, can't you?"

Tobirama scowled at the scroll in his hand before nodding. "...Yes." He left the room in a speed he was famed for, leaving behind the Uchiha Clan Head.

"That _goddamn_ man..." Izumi muttered before leaving the room, leaving behind a quite satisfied Hokage.

* * *

_**The next day…**_

* * *

Her legs hurt.

Not that she would complain about running too much to Tobirama because she's, well...angry at him. For good reason too.

"Izumi, there's a group heading towards us, their chakra reserves are too large and they're traveling too fast. Be ready." Tobirama suddenly said interrupting her thoughts.

The only thing she did was nod her head, not bothering to actually _answer_ him. A few seconds passed by until Izumi was able to sense them and that was when she activated her Sharingan. She could feel the slight itching from her eyes and the temptation to use her Mangekyō was high, but it wasn't high enough to where Izumi would risk her eyesight to use it for some measly fight like this. She knew the outcome of having this eye and by watching both of her brothers, Izumi vowed to use it only in dire situations.

But this fight was exactly what Izumi needed, she had to get rid of her anger towards Tobirama somehow and the past few missions she took had almost to no fighting in them.

The two waited until the enemy got closer and actually started attacking before laying a hand on them. "Die, you Uchiha scum!" Hearing one of the men say this only riled Izumi up more. If he wanted to be the idiot and insult her clan, then why not show him the power of the Uchiha then?

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!" A large fireball flew out of her mouth and hit one of the men while the others avoided it. Not waiting, she quickly jumped over the burning man and stabbed another behind him. Izumi heard a grunt of pain from behind her, meaning that Tobirama had engaged with his side of the enemy.

Her eye caught a movement from behind her, letting her whirl around and block the kick aimed at her head. She smirked and grabbed the teenage boy's leg and threw him behind her (with the help of chakra of course), only for him to collide with one of his own teammates, knocking the both of them out. There were only two more fighting against her and one of them was not in her eyesight. The man with blonde hair came running towards her going through handseals that her Sharingan started copying.

"Raiton: Gian!" A large spear of lightning shot out from the man's mouth, causing Izumi to jump to her left. She didn't notice that the second remaining enemy shot out from his hiding spot at grabbed her when she did. Her eyes widened and she tried to pull away, but the man had his arms firmly wrapped around her shoulders.

"Kill her!" The black haired man that held her shouted out. Izumi inwardly sighed, realizing that the remaining two were stronger than they looked. Closing her eyes, she reopened them everything surrounding her became clearer than using her average three-tomoe Sharingan. She quickly turned her head stared at the blonde running towards her.

"Amaterasu!" Black flames ignited onto the man's body, shocking the brown-haired enemy behind her. He loosened his grip, letting Izumi grab onto the man and stab him with the kunai she had in her weapons pouch. She deactivated her Sharingan, but had to shake her head to stop with the slight paint that came with using it. Pushing the dead man off of her, she walked over to where the blonde lay and stopped the black flames. She bent down and began searching the man to find a clue to why they were attacking them when something shiny caught her eye.

Izumi pulled it out, only to realize it was a hitai-ate similar to the ones shinobis got in Konoha. Instead of the leaf-mark on hers, this one had two connected rectangular ovals with an extra circle on the upper left of it.

"That's a Kumogakure hitai-ate." Tobirama suddenly said from behind her.

"Komogakure? Why would they be all the way over here?" She asked him, standing up with it in her hand.

"I don't know, but something about this unnerves me." A dark look passed over his eyes. "Let's just finish the mission and get home."

"Speaking about home..." Izumi added. He sighed and held up his hand.

"I don't think this is the best place to talk about it."

"But-"

"There's an inn a few minutes away from here, let's just stay there for the night. We can head to the town tomorrow."

"...Okay." Izumi put away the hitai-ate and followed Tobirama.

* * *

"I'm sorry, we only have one room available today."

"It's fine. We'll take it." Tobirama handed the old lady the money and grabbed the key, not uttering one single word to Izumi. He went up the stairs next to them, Izumi close behind. When he opened the door to the room, she heard him sigh before walking in. She saw why.

There was only one bed.

The moment she slammed the door closed, Izumi walked up to Tobirama and put her hand on her hip. "Don't you have something to say to me?"

"Izumi-"

She narrowed her eyes and started tapping her foot. "I'm waiting. In fact, I have been for the past few days."

He groaned and took of his happuri. "Fine, I apologize."

"For what?"

"...For getting angry at Hiruzen."

"Angry? It was more like you raged at him." She gave him a smile. "But I accept your apology." There was more to what happened, but she decided to let it go. "I'll be back. I'm going to the hot spring connected to the place." She left the room, leaving the white-haired Senju to his own thoughts.

It was only _her_ that he would ever act this way.

What was so special about Izumi? Why would he always get so unnerved when she got so mad at him? The only other people that have managed to accomplish this feat were his parents and Hashirama. Did this mean he had complete trust in her, despite what her brother _is?_ But then again, they are two totally different people.

But still family too. He knew that he would do anything -and he meant _anything,_ for Hashirama.

Would Izumi do anything for her brother? For Madara?

Tobirama shook his head. No, he was over thinking too many things like usual.

About an hour later, Izumi came back refreshed. She had needed all of that, the apology and the hot spring. She felt renewed, less tired. She would see why, Izumi had a lot of stress because of the last two weeks.

"Tobirama?"

"Yeah?" She walked up to him at the desk and placed her hand on his shoulders. "I think I need to say sorry for the way I acted." She frowned. "I may have overreacted at you."

He shook his head and stood up. "It's fine. I realize that I had gotten a little too angry at Hiruzen."

She smiled and turned around to walk away, but Tobirama grabbed her and placed a kiss on her lips. She pulled away a few seconds later, shocked at his sudden move. "What was that for?"

"Nothing." He gave her one of his famous smirks.

"Oh?" Izumi gave him a sickly sweet smile. She placed her hands on his chest and _slowly _moved it to where her arms wrapped around his neck. She was standing on her toes with her mouth right next to his ear. "Two can play at that game." Izumi whispered into it. She knew that he had to be at his limit. She could tell with how stiff his muscles were, how...unresponsive he was. She thought she had won.

She was _so_ very wrong.

"Then let's play." Tobirama whispered. In a speed that had made him famous, he threw her onto the only bed and leaned down, barely an inch between their faces. A sound of surprise was barely able to leave her mouth before he claimed them.

The temperature in the room got hotter and hotter as their kisses heated up.

Tobirama pulled back to take off his shirt, only to return quickly. She ran her hands over the hard muscles that came with being a shinobi and moaned into his lips. He took off her shirt and moved his lips to a spot behind her ear that he knew she loved to be both kissed and touched at. This incited another moan from her and he started kissing a path down her body and stopped at where her pants started.

"Izumi." Tobirama suddenly said, his voice deeper and huskier than usual, revealing his lust for her. Izumi knew what he was asking because if she didn't say no right now, there would be no going back. Looking into his eyes, she saw the amount of love he had for her. She nodded her head. "Are you sure?"

The hidden question remained.

They weren't married or arranged to be and there _was_ a chance that he would have to get married to a random stranger for clan relationships. And not to mention that it was frowned upon for a woman to sleep with a man that was not her husband.

Yet, Izumi couldn't see herself with anyone _but_ him. She felt that he would be the only man in the world that she could ever do something like this with.

"Yes, I'm sure." She was ready.

Tobirama nodded his head and started kissing her again, tangling his hands into her hair. He never moved his lips off of hers, but he did move his hands to the strap of her bra and practically ripped the damned thing off before moving his hands to her hips. They broke apart for a few seconds and during this was when she tugged on his pants. As fast as he could, he took of his pants and helped Izumi take of hers. She grabbed his face and pulled him in for another kiss, but something about this one was different and Tobirama soon found out why.

They both rose together and fell together, and in midst of it Izumi whispered a single _I love you_ that almost went unheard had Tobirama not been listening. Many unknown emotions were discovered that night, some more than the other. The broken pieces that had formed in both of their hearts during their younger years were mended, renewing their will to continue, to drive away that _sliver _of darkness that had burrowed its way into their hearts. There were no regrets and as Izumi fell to the lulls of sleep at the end in Tobirama's arms, she had finally found the place she had been searching for.

Her home.

* * *

Tobirama was the first to awaken and remember the events of the night before. His arm was wrapped over her stomach while their legs tangled together, his face in her hair. He carefully lifted his head up to look at Izumi, her eyes were closed and she looked at peace.

To fall asleep like this in a person's arms means a lot for a trained shinobi, it meant complete and utter trust for the person.

Looking down at Izumi made Tobirama realize that she trusted him with her heart, with her _life_ if it came down to it.

_**I love you**_**.**

He remembered what she had said to him last night and a large swell of emotions rose from his heart. Looking at the woman in his arms, Tobirama realized that he was being such a cliché man at what he had thought right then.

He had thought that Izumi was the most beautiful person.

Seeing the hair in her face, he tried moving some back behind her ears as carefully as he could, but this small little movement caused her to wake up.

When Izumi opened her eyes, she quickly noticed their state of undress. This then caused her to turn beet red because she then remembered what they had did, so the only thing she could think of was to hide her face.

Of course it was into his chest, but what other place did she have?

She felt the vibrations of his laugh from her position on his chest, but it didn't matter, he wrapped his arms around her and moved to where she laid on top of him, and him below.

"T-Tobirama!" She said, her voice higher than usual. She was trying to hide her chest and her face now.

"What is there to hide? I've seen everything already." He teased with his usual cockiness and smirk.

"S-Stop!" It was so obvious that Uchiha Izumi was very much out of her comfort zone, causing Tobirama to find even more amusement.

"But it doesn't matter," He gave her a small kiss on her forehead and hugged her. "You're beautiful, both inside and out."

Izumi, feeling slightly satisfied and very happy at what he just said, smiled and surrendered once again to the warmth of Tobirama's arms.

* * *

**A/N: **_…_

…

…

…

_I may have just died from complete embarrassment from writing this, I hope you know that. And the funny thing is, I've read a lot more embarrassing __**smut**__ than whatever you would call what I just wrote. Ohmygod I'm like so dead and like so red as I write this __**A/N**__ xD Please forgive me if it's confusing because like, idk I can't fix it if it is so… But did you see what I did there? 'Looking into his eyes' I just added the TITLE. Hehe._

_So yeah. That happened. _

_Well, I hope you liked it because I realized, I needed to gift you guys because WE JUST __**HIT 200 FOLLOWERS! WOOP WOOP! I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH OMG THANK YOU YOU DON'T KNOW HOW I FEEL THIS IS MY GIFT TO YOU GUYS.**_

_Well, that also happened._

_Like I have so many things I want to say, but then I just can't put it to words. So for one, I want to thank __**every single reviewer**__ who has reviewed for this story. Like, really, thanks. You guys are probably the sole reason to why I even continue writing, you know? Next I would like to thank every follower and every single person who has favorited on this story. Didn't think I would get this many people. _

_So,__** thank you.**_

_Also because of this, I'm going to recommend my most favorite book series __**ever**__. I recommend the __**Mythos Academy**__ series written by __**Jennifer Estep**__. The first book in this series is __**Touch of Frost**__, and it's basically about an academy where all the gods of ancient cultures like Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Chinese, Japanese; all those gods had children and those children descendants go to the school called Mythos Academy. Like, all those gods from all those cultures co-exist. But yeah, this my probably my most favorite series ever next to the Throne of Glass one._

_So, I would love a review and if you haven't already, please press that follow and favorite button!_

_Until next time!~_

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**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu **= Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique

**Raiton: Gian **= Lightning Release: False Darkness


	21. Duties

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

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**Some pain shouldn't be washed away so easily. It had to be dealt with, even embraced.**

Rick Riordan, _The Blood of Olympus_

* * *

**Duties**

Hashirama knew something good must have happened on the mission when he saw Izumi walking into his office with a smile on her face while his brother followed behind her with his usual expressionless look on his own. "Hello Hashirama! We finished the mission!" She said cheerily, making Hashirama even more curious of what his brother had done to get the young woman so happy.

He raised an eyebrow at his brother but took the mission scroll that she was holding out towards him. "I am guessing that you guys worked through your argument?"

"Yup." But the happy air around her suddenly disappeared and seriousness replaced it. "But while we were on the mission..." She slightly tilted her head toward Tobirama and Hashirama saw him nod his head. "We ran into Kumo-nins."

He stilled for a few seconds before leaning back into his chair, confusion written all over his face. "How far?"

Tobirama was the one to answer the question. "Not to far from village and well past the agreed territory mark." He fished out the taken hitai-ate from a few days ago and placed it in front of Hashirama. "Izumi took that off one of the shinobis that attacked us."

"The thing that's been bothering me was that they all ran towards Tobirama after they saw us. The only reason why they even attacked me was because I initiated one with them." Izumi said while rubbing her face. "They didn't even recognize me Hashirama."

Now that shocked Hashirama. "What?"

"They knew I was an Uchiha, but other than that? Nothing."

He started shaking his head. "That's impossible, I just got a scroll from the Raikage asking about what had happened with the Uchiha."

Tobirama took a step forward and sat against the corner of the desk. "They knew about the Clan Head changing?"

"Yeah, so I'm confused. He stated in the scroll itself your name Izumi." He raised his hand up at Tobirama's open mouth. "And I know what you're about to ask. For some unknown reason they knew about the changing even before it was publicly announced."

"There is a spy then." Izumi pointed out.

"There are spies everywhere. We have them in other hidden villages and they are bound to have sent some here too." There was silence after that, it was not a pleasant one but a tense one full of worry, of anger. "Well, you two must be tired from the mission. You have the rest of the day off -but Izumi, I got a message from Kazuyo-san about needing you."

The Uchiha matriarch groaned and rubbed her head. "Fine." Turning around, she started walking away. "You know where to find me then." She said while throwing her other hand in the air in a show of goodbye. "That goddamn paperwork. They'll be the death of me." She muttered out the door.

After making sure she was gone, Hashirama turned to his younger brother. "I'm worried for her. With Madara's defection and the Clan Head duties being pushed onto her, I'm not shocked if she's getting overwhelmed."

"She is fine Brother, she said so herself."

"Yes, but in the end she wasn't raised to be the Clan Head." He said while placing the scroll into one of the desk drawers. "She's trying to find her brother Tobirama. It's written clear across her face whenever she comes in to ask for a mission."

"He is beyond saving Madara." Tobirama said firmly. "I know you too have this foolish notion that he can be saved, but you didn't see him that day." His eyes darkened from the memory of the events that happened a year ago. "That man was about to hurt his only remaining family. He was going to hurt _Izumi_."

Hashirama let out a tired sigh before standing up and looking out the newly built windows that let him look over the village. "He is walking in a dark path Tobirama, that I know. In every man, there is darkness. But while there is darkness, there is always light to balance it, no matter how little." He turned his head toward his brother and gave him a smile. "Somewhere in Madara is something that will save him Tobirama, and Izumi may be the only key to unlocking whatever it is."

Standing up, the white-haired man shook his head and walked to the door. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he opened the door but paused to finish his talk with Hashirama. "There is trouble brewing Brother and I do not care if that man is the cause of it or not. Be ready because whether we like it or not, we may live to see another war again." That was the last thing Tobirama said before leaving the room and closing the door, leaving Hashirama to his own thoughts.

"I know Tobirama." Looking once again out the window, he felt pain in his heart to know that the peace they knew now would never last.

"I know."

* * *

_**Izumi**_

* * *

The moment she walked into the building dedicated to the Uchiha Council, she knew she may have just walked into Hell.

"Izumi-sama, thank Kami that you are back." Noizumi shoved a pile of papers, scrolls, and important documents. "Those are all the things you need to have finished."

"W-What?"

"That's what you get for slacking, you brat." The sudden voice of her best friend said from behind, causing her to turn around. "Some of those are stuff that needed to be signed _yesterday._"

"But-"

"Shut it brat, this is your fault. You're not a kid anymore, you got responsibilities to the clan as Clan Head." Kazuyo walked up to her and nonchalantly placed a pen on top of the pile in Izumi's hand. "Get to work."

Sighing in defeat, she walked to the desk in the back of the room meant for her. She carefully placed the pile onto the desk and sat down; she needed to mentally prepare herself for the stiff, boring hours that were to come.

All this paperwork crap, it wasn't meant for her. It was _never_ even supposed to be her. The person meant to be sitting at this desk was supposed to be Madara or even Izuna if her oldest brother died. And despite being a few minutes older than her twin, she was the absolute last resort if the Uchiha was in need of a Clan Head. She knew absolutely _zero_ when it came down to politics.

She just _was not_ suited for this job.

Izumi let out a sigh, one of the firsts of many to come. Grabbing the pen, she set out to finish as much paperwork as she could before she collapsed (because after all, she was in Hell).

A few hours had passed when Izumi was finally finished with most of the pile. The rest of it could be left for tomorrow. Looking up, she realized that only two other people remained. "Kazuyo, where's Kagami?" She asked while standing up. Izumi felt -and heard- the popping of her stiff back.

"He's being babysat by Nozaki." Kazuyo suddenly froze and placed her pen down on the table. "Actually, he should be here soon to drop of Kagami." Izumi nodded her heard and turned it to the only other remaining person. "Noizumi, what about you?"

"Akane will be fine Izumi-sama." The young boy gave her a smile. "She is being watched by my grandmother until I get home."

"Well, why don't you go then. You've been working hard this past week and it's the least you can do."

He quickly stood up and bowed. "Thank you." He raised his head and gave her another of his boyish smiles. "You are all Akane talks about Izumi-sama. She has taken a great liking to you."

"Then tell her I said hi." Giving her another polite bow, Noizumi rushed off, leaving Izumi and Kazuyo.

"That kid is sucking up to you brat."

Izumi shrugged her shoulders before closing the curtains in the room. "Eh, I know. Not like I really care. His little sister's so cute."

"Well-"

"Momma!" Their heads flipped to the front door, only to see Kagami standing there with Nozaki. He let out a happy squeal when he saw his aunt standing there behind Kazuyo. He ran forward into the room. "Izumi-neesan!" Completely ignoring his mother, he ran into Izumi's legs. "You're finally back!" Kazuyo thanked Nozaki while Izumi carefully untangled her nephew's arms from her legs so she could bend down.

"How's my favorite nephew?"

"I'm your only nephew."

She sheepishly smiled before placing her hand on his head. "That's right. But it doesn't mean you can't be my favorite."

"True!" Kagami opened his mouth to say something but his mother suddenly came up from behind him and picked him up.

"We're leaving Kagami, I have to go get some stuff for dinner and you need to come with me."

The boy let out a groan and started twisting in his mother's arms. "I don't want too!"

"Oi, don't start!"

Izumi quickly stood up and placed her hand on top of his head. "Be a good boy for your mother Kagami. I'll be here tomorrow too so I'll see you then."

"...Fine." He agreed and stopped moving which incited a relieved sigh from the person carrying him.

"Thanks Izumi. Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." Kazuyo said her goodbye (and Kagami doing the same), which now let Izumi alone in the building.

Now it was her turn to let out a sigh. "I fucking hate paperwork." She muttered to herself before blowing out the candles in the room.

It was time to go home.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

_**March**_

* * *

"When is Sensei going to get here?" A young girl asked her.

"Does it look like _I _know Koharu?" Izumi answered from her spot in the tree.

"Tobirama-Sensei is never late, something must have happened to him."

Izumi groaned. Why did she ever agree to watch his students until he showed up? "For the last time Danzō, I don't-" She suddenly stopped midway through her sentence when a hawk dropped down next to her, a scroll tied around its leg. "Well, speak of the devil. Probably from that teacher of yours." Untying the scroll, she sent the large bird away before reading what was written on it.

* * *

_Izumi,_

_I was caught in an emergency meeting with Hashirama and the representative from Sunagakure. I won't be able to meet up with you and my students._

_I want you to watch them for the day._

_Tobirama_

* * *

"That fucking idiot!" She burned the scroll and jumped down, literally shocking the glasses off of Homura. "Who the hell does he think he is?!"

"Your _boyfriend?_"

She shot the boy a glare. "Shut it Sarutobi, he's not my boyfriend." Clapping her hands together, she pushed away her irritation towards Tobirama at the moment and smiled. "Get up my dear students!"

"_Your_ students?" Hiruzen asked suspiciously. Out of all his teammates, he was the one that spent the most time with Tobirama and Izumi because of his past relationship with the Senju. That was the reason why he was slightly scared because he knew Izumi and her sadistic side.

"Well, that idiot teacher of yours asked me _politely_ to be your teacher today." It was obvious that he didn't really ask politely with the reaction from earlier. "So, I'm your teacher!"

Everybody besides Hiruzen let out a relieved sigh, happy that they didn't have to go through with Tobirama's strict training but Hiruzen did pale.

Which Izumi noticed quite quickly.

"Oi Sarutobi, get some life back in your cheeks." She said before a sadistic smile lit up on her face. "This is going to be _fun._" Motioning with her hands to follow her, the four students followed her to the middle of the training field. "You guys are going to be attacking me."

There was an immediate sound of complaint from Hiruzen. "No way, we'll be dead!"

"Don't overreact, you're scaring your teammates."

"For good reason! I've seen you fight and you can keep up with Sensei!"

Danzo was picking at his fingernails. "We can too Hiruzen. We may not be able to _attack_ him but we manage to protect ourselves."

The young Sarutobi whirled towards his teammate and pleaded with his hands. "He goes easy on us!"

"Hiruzen-kun, don't you think you're overreacting like Izumi-san said?" Koharu suggested.

"But I'm _not_."

Homura pushed up his glasses and looked at the Uchiha standing in front of them. "Will _you_ be going easy on us Izumi-san?"

Izumi shrugged her shoulders before twirling her hair around her finger. "Maybe, maybe not. But enough chit-chat, here are the rules." She pulled out the string from the scroll earlier and picked up a small rock from the ground to tie together. "This will be your target. The moment one of you guys take this rock," She held the tied rock in the air before tying it onto her pants, letting it dangle onto the side of her hip. "The fight is over and you guys have won."

"That's it?" Danzo asked.

She nodded her head before placing her hand on the other hip. "Yes."

"There are no other rules?"

"No." And with a nod of her head, she started the fight. "Start!"

* * *

When Tobirama asked Izumi to watch over his students for the day, he thought that she would make them take a small mission to help someone in the village. Maybe even go through some exercises. That was why he did not expect it when he saw his students laying on the ground with dirt and scratches adorning their faces, panting, while Izumi stood in front of them with a proud grin on her face.

"Guys, your teacher's here." Hiruzen immediately shot up from his spot on the ground and hid behind Tobirama.

"Sensei, that lady is a _demon_."

"What are you talking about Hiruzen?"

The next person to hide behind him was Danzo. "She nearly _maimed_ us!"

"Please don't leave her with us again Sensei!" Homaru pleaded.

"She scares me Tobirama-Sensei!" Koharu shivered at remembering what happened.

"_Izumi._"

She raised her hands. "I swear, we just did a spar!" The only thing Tobirama did was sigh before patting his students on their heads.

"Well, you guys can go home. I'll talk with Izumi." They all nodded their heads eagerly before running off without a goodbye.

"Don't get mad at me-"

"I'm not." He suddenly let out a tired sigh before stretching.

Izumi could tell that something bad must have happened at the meeting. "Everything okay?"

"Let's just go back to the house. I'll tell you then." Tobirama grabbed her hand and used his Hiraishin to teleport to their house.

No matter how many times Izumi used that jutsu with Tobirama, she could never get used to the space-time ninjutsu that had made him famous. It was that feeling of falling from a high place, the one where it felt as if your stomach would come out through your mouth.

That's how it felt for her.

"The Suna representative had to leave and return back to his village." Tobirama stated after they were settled down on the couch in the living room.

"Why? That man just got here a few weeks ago." Izumi asked. "I thought he was planning on staying for a few months."

"He didn't say much." Tobirama ran his hands across his face. "Something about Iwagakure getting too close to Suna's borders."

"This doesn't sound very good." She sighed and rubbed her arm. "Something big is going to happen Tobirama," She turned her head towards the Senju. Her gaze was dark, yet sad with what she was about to say. "And I don't think we'll be alive to see the end of it."

* * *

_**One month later…**_

_**April**_

* * *

Izumi finally realized something.

She hated -no, _despised- _wearing a formal kimono. She was fidgeting with the obi wrapped around her waist but soon stopped when Tobirama shot her a glare from next to him. "Stop it Izumi."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why don't you wear a kimono then?" She hissed at him. "Then you would know how _uncomfortable_ I am."

"I'll pass." He said with his usual smugness and smirk which Izumi so desperately wanted to smack off his face. But she held back her violent urges and instead sneered at him before turning her head back forward. Today was not a day she wanted to be in a bad mood -despite already being in one- since today was _that_ day.

The day that Hashirama would get married to the Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan's daughter, Uzumaki Mito.

Their marriage was purely political, with Hashirama married to Mito, Uzushiogakure and Konoha would have an alliance.

In a way, Izumi felt bad for Hashirama because she knew he was a hopeless romantic, he was always talking about love and how he wished to find "the one". But Hashirama must have known that for him, love would have to come second to marriage.

Looking around, she could see many of the prominent figures from the clans that now resided within the walls of Konoha. On her right was Sarutobi Sasuke with his wife and in front of her was the Clan Head of the Yamanaka Clan. Over on his left was the Akimichi and Nara, who had brought along their children who were too young to leave at home. That also included the Inuzuka Clan, who had brought their child and their canine partner.

Izumi thought that they were one of the louder -if not loudest, Clan in Konoha

There were just..._so_ many clans now compared to a year ago. There were large clans like the Hyūga with their famed kekkei genkai that could rival the Uchiha's and smaller ones like the Hatake Clan who were elite trackers and canine summoners.

"Uchiha-san."

Turning her head to the voice, she gave the man a polite smile. "Sarutobi-san, it is a pleasure to meet you." She said with a small nod. "And please call me Izumi, being called Uchiha-san makes me feel old."

"Then you can call me Sasuke, Izumi-san." Sasuke brought his wife next to him and introduced her. "This is my wife, Mai."

"It is nice to meet you." Izumi greeted.

"My, Hiruzen is always talking about how pretty you are and he was right!" Izumi let out a laugh, sightly embarrassed. "I hope he does not cause too much trouble for you and Tobirama."

She shook her head. "I just tag along with Tobirama but from what I have seen, Hiruzen has great potential."

Izumi wanted to ask more but was rudely interrupted by someone ramming into the back of her legs. She was somehow able to not trip and fall on the Sarutobi couple, surprisingly shocking herself.

"When does the wedding start?" Large grey eyes looked up at her.

"I told you that you need to be on your best behavior today." She smiled apologetically to Mai and moved Kagami next to her.

"My my, who are you?" Mai asked, looking down at him.

"I'm Uchiha Kagami!" The four year old introduced himself, standing quite proudly.

"Izumi-san, is he yours?" Sasuke asked.

Her eyes widened before she quickly denied it. "Oh no, he is my nephew. His mother is one of my close friends and is currently on a mission. I promised her I would watch over him."

"What of his father?" He knew that his question was the wrong thing to ask because he saw a quick flash of pain before it was quickly replaced with small, sad smile.

"My brother died three years ago."

There was an awkward silence after that, no one was sure how to continue the conversation or to lighten to mood.

"Izumi-nee, I'm bored." Kagami suddenly said, breaking the silence.

Happy for a change of topic, she pointed to Tobirama. "Why don't you go bother Tobirama?"

"Can I really bother Tobi-nii?"

She gave him a grin that he didn't understand. "Of _course_ you can." Giving him a little shove towards the Senju, Kagami ran off. "I'm sorry for him, he is always like that. Cannot seem to stand still."

Mai waved her hand and laughed. "Don't worry, most boys are like that at his age. You should have seen Hiruzen. He was _everywhere_." Izumi could just imagine that boy at Kagami's age.

It made her want to cry just imagining how annoying he must have been.

"Well, he is a very active boy even now." She agreed. From the corner of her eye, Izumi could see Tobirama being flustered at what to do with Kagami, her nephew was currently trying to get the Senju to carry him.

Mai saw where she was looking at and turned her head, just in time to see the white-haired man awkwardly pick up the four year old. Izumi heard her sigh. "That man just never learns."

Sometime during their conversation, Sasuke left to talk to a blonde man -probably the Yamanaka Clan Head, judging by his hair.

"Learn what?" She asked, curious.

"He's known Hiruzen since he was a young boy and watched over him quite a lot but yet he doesn't seem to grasp the concept of carrying a child." Mai pointed at Tobirama. "Look at him, he's holding your poor nephew in front of him like he's some..._animal._"

The only thing Izumi could do was shake her head at how stupid he looked. "I guess that is Tobirama for you." She quietly chuckled. "He's always like that."

"That's true." The Sarutobi Matriarch agreed. "Well, it was very nice to talk to you and I wish we could continue, but it seems like it's almost time for the wedding." Looking at the entrance Izumi could see the Uzumaki Clan Head walk in with his wife, indicating that Mito and Hashirama would be making their entrance soon.

Bowing her head goodbye, she walked over to where Tobirama was standing while holding a giggling Kagami. "Are you ready for your older brother to get married?"

"No, I fear he's going to be too..._childish._" He answered. The young Uchiha boy had somehow managed to get Tobirama to hold him properly, letting Kagami to wrap his arms around his neck for support. "Like a certain _someone_ that I know."

"Shh." She patted her nephew on his head.

He lowered his head to her ear. "Why did you send him over to me?" He whispered angrily.

"Because," She patted him on his shoulder. "I know you just _love_ children." He moved away from her but not before she gave him a sickly sweet smile that he associated with the word evil. "My dear little nephew just loves his _Tobi-nii, _ne Kagami?"

The boy nodded his head excitedly. "Yup!"

"Well Kagami, you are going to have to go down because the ceremony is about to start." Tobirama said.

Kagami let out a sad groan before releasing his arms, letting the Senju place him on the ground. "Will you play with me later or tomorrow? Momma's not coming back until next week and I wanna play..."

The white-haired Senju's eyes widened. "What about um…Izumi-neesan?" He seemed to struggle saying her name like that and for some reason it amused her.

"She's busy with import-ta-tan-"

"Important." She helped without looking at him, she was trying to make sure her obi didn't get messed up in the hour she's been here.

"Yeah, that word! She's working on important stuff because of her job." He said, proud of being able to say the word.

"W-Well…"

Kagami grabbed his hand and started pulling on it. "_Please?_"

Even the usual cold Tobirama could not say no to the eyes the little boy in front of him was giving. "I-I guess it would not hurt if I came over for a bit."

"Yay!" Kagami then grabbed Izumi's hand and smiled. "Tomorrow's gonna be a fun day!"

She shook her head and scoffed. "We need to survive this day first."

Mai looked over and saw Izumi and Tobirama holding hands with her nephew and for some reason, her heart felt warm watching them interact with one another.

'_They look like a real family._' She thought amusingly to herself.

Her husband caught her smiling and raised an eyebrow. "What are you smiling at?"

"Oh nothing, just a happy thought."

* * *

**A/N:** _Well, I finally finished this chapter, I hope you like it! For some unknown reason I'm really proud of it too… lol xD _

_I don't know what to put in this A/N really, there's like nothing to say._

_Oh, the reason why this chapter's pretty late was because I probably had a really bad case of writer's block for the past few days. It was the same for _**_In Time _**_too._

_So I recommend _**_Agenda 21 _**_by _**_Glenn Beck _**_and _**_Harriet Parke_**_. I got hooked into the story within the first few pages and finished it within like two hours. It was that good!_

_So other than that, please _**_please _**_leave a review! When you do I kinda get motivated to write… _**_*cough cough_**_*_

_Please follow/fav. if you haven't already!_

_Until next time!~_


	22. Marriage

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC'S.

* * *

**I love you, even if there isn't any me, or any love, or even any life.**

**I love you.**

Zelda Fitzgerald

* * *

**Marriage**

"Mito-sama, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." Izumi bowed her head towards the newly married Uzumaki.

"Please, stop with the formalities Izumi-san." Mito said with a smile. "We've met a few times in passing but I believe that is about it."

"I think so too." She smiled. "How does it feel to be married, Mito-san?"

"It is...weird. I've been told that I met him as a child but I don't remember much of it. The only other timebut to see him grown into the man that he is today..."

Izumi nodded her head and looked at the group of men surrounding him. "He is a good man." She gave the new Senju Matriarch a comforting smile; it wasn't a fake one meant for just meeting someone, it was a genuine smile that seemed to ease the worry for Mito. "You're in capable hands."

"Yeah! Hashi-nii is awesome, he's so cool and he plays with me." Kagami suddenly said, tugging on Mito's kimono. "He even puts me on his shoulders like Tobi-nii does too."

Mito smiled at the young boy before Izumi pulled him away. "I'm sorry, he doesn't listen-"

"Are you...close with the Senju brothers?"

Izumi's eyes widened with surprise. "I guess it could be said as close-"

"What are you talking about Izumi-chan?" Hashirama suddenly put his arm around her. "You're practically family!"

"_W-What?!_" She spluttered, turning red. "I highly doubt-"

"We are!" He moved away and stood next to his new wife. "If you _ever_ need anything or anyone to talk too, just go to her." He pointed to the embarrassed Uchiha. "She'll help you."

"O-Okay." Mito agreed. Hashirama then smiled and left to go back to the group of men.

"Well, I guess your answer was answered." Izumi said awkwardly, breaking the silence.

"What about Tobirama?" Mito asked.

She turned to the red-head. "What about him?"

"Are you close with him?"

"Well-"

"Yes! Izumi-nee and Tobi-nii are super close!" Kagami suddenly shouted. The only thing she did was groan, slightly frustrated over being interrupted twice in less than a minute. "They're always together and sometimes they k-"

"_Okay_, that is enough little boy." Izumi quickly slapped her hand over his mouth before looking at Mito. "I guess you could say I'm close with the brothers."

She laughed. "Oh really?" A mischievous glint was in her eye, slightly scaring Izumi. "I don't know, it seemed like your nephew here was about to say kiss-"

"W-What? No, of course not. He was going to say…um… kicking! Yeah, kicking." She lied, but it was so painfully false Mito couldn't help but laugh.

"I absolutely love talking to you Izumi-san. Do you think we could meet up again?"

"Just Izumi is fine and yes, I would love to talk with you more."

Kagami pushed Izumi's hand away and looked up at Mito. "If you're married to Hashi-nii, does that make you my aunt?"

"Kagami!"

He started tugging on her kimono. "Of course Kagami-kun." Mito kneeled down and tweaked his nose. "I would love to be your aunt."

* * *

_**Two week later**_

_April_

* * *

Izumi opened the door to the Hokage's office, carrying a sleeping Kagami. "Hashirama, has there been any word on Kazuyo and her group?" The Hokage, looking as tired –maybe even more than her– shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't gotten any word."

She carefully put Kagami down on the small couch in the corner of the room and walked over to where he was sitting. "I'm worried, this mission isn't supposed to take this long."

"I know, it's worrying me too."

Izumi just sighed. "Well, it's getting late. Mito's asking for you to get home."

"I wish I could but-"

"Hashirama, go." She closed the blinds on the windows. "We're walking in the same direction anyways."

"I'm not going to win this, am I?"

She just smirked before turning back to Kagami. "Of course not-"

The door suddenly slammed open, startling the little Uchiha from his sleep. "Hokage-sama, Team Uchiha just came back but there's been several causalities."

"Are they at the hospital?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama. However, only one is conscious and able to speak at the moment."

"Alright." The Shinobi bowed before leaving the room. "This doesn't sound good at all. Their mission was near the border but I didn't think anything bad was going to happen. I need to talk to them."

"I'm going with you." Izumi walked over to where Kagami sat. "I'm sorry, we're going to be taking a little detour back home, okay?" The boy sleepily nodded his head, yawning. She kissed the boy's forehead before carrying him. "Come on Hashirama, who knows how long that person has."

It didn't take them long before they reached the hospital; Kagami was once again sleeping in Izumi's arms, not understanding what was happening at the moment. She was worried, this team was the one Kazuyo was on too. She just prayed to Kami that she was safe and unhurt.

"Excuse me, could you watch my nephew? He'll be right here." She asked the nurse manning the desk in one of the waiting room.

"Of course Uchiha-sama." She gave the nurse a grateful smile before gently laying Kagami down on the chairs.

Quickly catching up to Hashirama in one of the rooms the conscious Shinobi was staying, Izumi's hands were shaking. "Hashirama?" She asked, peeking into the room.

"Izumi, come in." Pushing the door open, she was able to see the man on the bed. He was an Hyūga judging by his eyes, but one of his arms was in a cast while he had a bandage wrapped around his head and one eye. He recognized her name and his one eye widened. The Hyūga started pulling his blankets off and made a move to get out of the bed.

"Hyūga-san, you're not supposed to move-" The man brushed off the nurses warning and stood up, wincing at his wounds before kneeling on the ground. He then placed his head on the ground with his hands positioned flat on the ground next to it.

"I am so sorry Uchiha-sama." He said.

Izumi took a step back, completely shocked at what the man was doing. "Wait-"

"I was saved by Kazuyo. She took an attack meant for me, saving my life." Her eyes widened before she turned pale. She started shaking her head in denial. "You have no reason to forgive me."

Izumi whirled her head towards the door and back at the Hyuga. "Don't say it, please."

"I am sorry Uchiha-sama, because of me she is dead. I am very sorry."

She ran out the room, denial ringing throughout her head, but she didn't even make five steps out the room when she collapsed onto her knees and hands. "No… no no no..."

Kazuyo couldn't be...dead. She couldn't, her friend was as stubborn as a rock. She was as strong as one too, she couldn't be..._dead_.

No, it's not possible, it can't be.

"Izumi-nee?" Her head quickly looked up, only to see Kagami looking at her with sleepy looking eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Kagami..." She choked out his name before moving her hands and sitting on her legs. "Oh Kami..."

"Izumi-nee, I'm scared. What's wrong?" Izumi shook her head before grabbing Kagami so that she could hug him.

She buried her face into his hair. "I'm so sorry Kagami. _Oh Kami I'm sorry_."

While Izumi was getting control of herself and her emotions, Hashirama was helping the Hyūga back onto his bed.

"Hokage-sama, it's my fault-"

"It's not. Just...tell me what happened."

The Hyūga recalled everything that happened. The moment they got to one of the villages on the edge of the border, they were ambushed by Kumo-nins. The enemy-nins quickly killed almost half of the members, only leaving about five Konoha-nins. They made way to retreat but was ambushed by another village shinobi, the Iwa-nin's.

Hearing all of this caused Hashirama to worry even more than usual. Ever since that Kage Summit, there were more casualties with _all_ their missions.

"Thank you Hyūga-san. Please, rest." He left the room and saw Izumi hugging Kagami. "Izumi?"

Hearing his voice brought her back down to reality. She let go of Kagami and looked at Hashirama. "Do they even have a...body?" He looked down and shook his head. Izumi let out a strained gasp before squeezing her eyes shut. "Of course." She didn't say anything after that.

They all stayed in the hall for a good five minutes before Hashirama noticed Kagami was still slightly confused and tired –not a good combo for a toddler.

"I'll take you home." Hashirama grabbed her arm and pulled her up before picking up the now motherless boy.

* * *

_**Two month later**_

_July_

* * *

Izumi blew out the last candle in the room before picking up her stuff and leaving. Today –like every other day– all she did was sign paperwork. It wasn't helping that her headaches were getting worse and that her eyesight was starting to go bad. Things she used to be able to see from a distance before were slowly starting to blur with every week that passed. She consulted with Hashirama and even the best iryo-nin in his clan but they said they couldn't do anything about it, that there were no treatments. There _was_ one method she knew of, but that would mean to take someone's eyes and that was just something she would never do.

In all honesty, Izumi was scared. She was the one who was now raising Kagami. She barely knew anything about raising a child! And her poor nephew, he was still a little too young to fully comprehend what had happened, all he could understand was that his mother wasn't coming home.

She let out a tired sigh. With Kazuyo's death, having to suddenly raise a young child, and Izuna's _meinichi_ yesterday, Izumi was about ready to collapse. Of course Tobirama was being just an _angel_ because he was also helping her with taking care of Kagami –a word she'd never thought she'd associate with Tobirama because, well...it's _Tobirama_. But without him, she would have snapped long ago. He was there for them when Kagami broke down crying in his bedroom, he was there for Kagami's fourth birthday; he was there for both of them and Izumi just could not figure out why. He didn't have to help for obvious reasons; Kagami was an Uchiha and wasn't related to him.

Despite Izumi being an Uchiha she still knew Tobirama didn't like her clan members very much –not that she likes everybody in her clan too because putting it quite plainly, some are just straight up assholes that need to remove the stick up that's shoved up their asses. She didn't blame him, how could she? Growing up in their war torn environment against each other, she wouldn't be surprised if other members of her clan hated the Senju.

Tobirama didn't tell her but from hearing stories from Hashirama, he believed that many Uchihas had a so called "Curse". Izumi thought it was ridiculous at first but after looking at some of the members and her own brother, it didn't shock her when she realized that what Tobirama said may have been true. The Curse of Hatred; when an Uchiha loses someone close to their heart all those emotions turn to hatred. That was the mirror image of her brother, of Madara.

Yet...here Tobirama was, with her. She's lost plenty of people close to her heart; her father, Izuna, Kazuyo, even Madara. All those people, Izumi _still_ loves. Does she reflect some of that Curse? That Hatred that is so famous for the Uchiha to possess?

Shaking her head to rid of her thoughts, Izumi opened the door to her house only to smell something cooking from the kitchen.

"Izumi-nee, you're home!"

"Hey Kagami-kun." She ruffled her nephew's hair before placing her stuff down on the living room table. "How was your day?"

"It was boring. Usually during lunch time, Momma would have come down to eat with us." He answered in a dejected tone. Immediately, a wave of guilt and pain passed over Izumi. She knew Kazuyo would always do that on her lunch breaks, it was one of the many things she looked forward too whenever she was helping with the Uchiha Council. Izumi tried to maintain Kagami's daily schedule, making sure almost nothing changed with before because she remembered reading somewhere that sudden change wasn't good for a young child. So she pushed down her anguish, her anger. She pushed them so far down in her heart that it was almost nonexistent at the moment. All for the sake of her nephew, her _last_ family left. Everybody Izumi grew up with was dead besides Madara, but he's probably cut her from his heart. So she _needed_ to protect Kagami, even if it would kill her.

"You know what, how about I eat lunch with you tomorrow."

Kagami perked up at hearing Izumi's suggestion. "Really?" She nodded her head.

She pushed down her tears, her cries of _why_. Seeing his smile didn't remind her of joy like before, it only served as a reminder to her that Kazuyo wouldn't even be able to see them anymore. "Yeah. Come on, I'm pretty sure Tobirama's finished making dinner."

* * *

_**Two hour later…**_

_11 PM_

* * *

Kagami was already asleep in his bed when Izumi was helping Tobirama put the dishes from their dinner away.

"Tobirama."

He turned his face to her but his hands kept washing the dishes. "Yeah?"

She took a deep breath and steeled her resolve. She would ask him, she had too. "Why me?" Not expecting this question, Tobirama stood a little straighter and moved his hands away from the water. "I'm an Uchiha for Kami's sake. I know you don't like my clan and Hashirama tells me you think many Uchiha have a curse." Izumi avoided his eyes but her hands were shaking so much that Tobirama noticed. "So why me? I'm not pretty, I'm not the nicest person. I have so much emotional baggage and I just-"

"Izumi."

"_Why me?_ I notice all the other Senju women looking at you, I notice how they're 'proper'. They haven't killed anyone, they don't have so much emotional shit like I do. They can probably care for a man while I don't know anything about doing things like that." She looked at her shaking hands and noticed them starting to blur because of the tears that were building up. Then suddenly she felt a warm, sturdy hand grabbing her own. She looked up and saw Tobirama looking down at her with...understanding in his eyes. With his other hand he placed it on her cheek and wiped away the tears that escaped from her eye.

"Because Izumi, I love you."

Hearing those three words broke whatever barrier on her emotion. All at once, the emotions she had withheld in these two months flooded her body. Her tears and gasping wouldn't stop, they kept on coming.

"W-Why does everyone I love leave me then? You'll leave me one day, Kagami's going to leave me one day; it's no different. Look at it; Izuna's gone, Kazuyo's gone, my father's gone, they're all gone."

"I haven't left you yet and I don't plan on doing so." Tobirama placed his bare forehead on hers. "I love you and I won't leave you."

"But you_will_, just like everyone else!" Izumi started crying even harder. With Izuna's _meinichi_ just yesterday, her emotional control was shot and Tobirama knew that; she was like this every year around this time.

"I won't Izumi."

"How? You can't promise something like that, yet alone prove!" She fell to her knees and Tobirama did too. "Izuna promised the same damn thing and look at him! He's _dead_." They both sat on the floor, silence in the room. The only sounds were Izumi's crying and his quiet breathing.

"Fine then." He suddenly said. Moving his head away from hers, Tobirama tightened his grip on Izumi's hands. "Marry me." He said as serious as he could.

Izumi, shocked at those two words, suddenly stopped crying and looked up at him. "W-What?"

"Uchiha Izumi, I want you to marry me." She was left speechless. Her mouth opened but then closed, unsure of what to say.

"W-Wait, _me?_" Izumi started shaking her head. "No no, you don't want _me_-"

"I do.

She must have looked so pathetic. She had dark bags under her eyes because of all the stress and she knew she was skinnier than ever. She was too pale and…just pathetic.

Izumi sure as hell didn't feel pretty, why the hell would she with all the crap that's been pushed onto her in the past two months?

"Izumi, I really do. You don't have to change your last name, you don't have to change anything."

She looked down. "Is it really okay for me to say yes? Do I deserve this kind of happiness with all things I've done with my life?" Tobirama placed a hand on her cheek and raised her face to meet his. "Is it okay for me to even _love _you?" He didn't answer, he gave her an understanding smile.

"You deserve happiness in your life Izumi, especially with everything you've had to deal with."

"...Do I really? Izuna was able to propose to Kazuyo but he died before they got married." She closed her eyes and felt a tear escape. "I feel like...I'm betraying him if I do say yes."

"I don't know Izuna, I've never met your brother but I do know what it's like to have a brother, to _be_ a brother." Tobirama gently grasped her hands. "I think he'd want you to be happy, that he wouldn't want you to hold back because of his death."

"Really?"

"Yes." He pulled Izumi up and looked at her straight in the eyes. "So will you do me the pleasure and marry me?"

"Y-Yes, _yes_."

* * *

**A/N: **_GODDAMN IT. THIS WAS SO FRICKEN HARD TO WRITE. You see, I had a horrible horrible writer's block but for some unknown reason at four in the fucking morning it went away._

_At four._

_So I am typing this at god knows what time because I have too. _

_I'm sorry that this chapter's a little shorter than usual because of the obvious reasons, but I hope that the angst and the ending make up for it! Now, there's going to be a pretty big timeskip next chapter because I need to start the preparations for the First Shinobi War and Madara and Hashirama's fight, which Izumi will have a great part to play in._

_So, what do you guys think about this chapter? I really want to know because quite honestly, I think it wasn't that good but I did like the way I wrote the bottom half. _

_And that is about it. There really isn't any more to say because I really don't know what _to_ say lol._

_I recommend __**Paper Towns**__ by __**John Green**__, lol. The only reason is because I'm in the middle of reading it and it's like so good and I love it!_

_So leave a review and a follow/fav. if you haven't already!_

_Until next time!~_

_Oh yeah, I also forgot, meinichi is basically Death Anniversary in the literal translation to english (from Japanese)!_


	23. Anguish

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS/PLOTS. I ONLY OWN IZUMI AND ANY OTHER OC.

* * *

**If I have learned anything in this long life of mine; it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.**

Kristin Hannah, _The Nightingale_

* * *

**Anguish**

Izumi was inspecting the ring that was usually found on her left ring finger. Tobirama had given it to her almost a year ago, saying something along the lines of,

"_I wasn't kidding when I asked you to marry me."_

Hearing a door slam open, she looked up and saw Hashirama walk in looking more tired than ever. She slipped the ring back on and stood up from her spot on the couch to walk over to his desk.

"Hashirama, what's wrong?" She asked, slightly concerned at how pale he was.

He sat down and shook his head. "We just got word that the Kyūbi disappeared. Poof, just like that."

"...What?" He nodded his head.

"I don't have time to deal with this, I have bigger things to think about like how to _not_ start a war with Kumogakure."

The Kyūbi disappeared...something was very off about that. It was almost as if what Connie had said was true…

"Hashirama."

"Yes?"

"I feel like Madara had something to do with the disappearance."

"I highly doubt that Izumi, the only way of controlling a Bijū would be a Mokuton-jutsu."

She shook her head. "A Uchiha with a strong enough Sharingan can control a Bijū, I read that somewhere while cleaning up old scrolls. I specifically remember it saying that once the user has full control over the Bijū, it can command it to do anything, go anywhere."

Hashirama leaned back in his chair and looked at her with eyes widened with shock. "Wait, so you're telling me that members of your clan can control a Bijū." Izumi nodded her head. "And you think your brother has something to do with the Kyūbi's disappearance?"

"Basically."

"Kami Izumi, why didn't you mention something like this earlier? It would've made my job five times easier when I was trying to capture the Bijū."

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled despite the topic of conversation. "You never asked."

He gave her a look of disbelief. "Yes Izumi, because controlling Bijū with a Sharingan totally comes up our topics of conversation." But then he sighed, showing her just how _stressed_ he was. "But for now we'll have to push that problem aside. My scouts haven't reporting any other sightings of the Kyūbi."

"Alright then." She looked down at the pile of paperwork on his desk and grimaced. "Do you want any help with that?" She asked while pointing to it.

"Don't you have other things to do?"

Izumi shook her head. "No. Kagami's still at school and Tobirama's off who knows where." Hashirama looked at the pile at back at her before making up his mind.

"Sure, why not. If I'm going to suffer through hours of paperwork, mind as well have some help." She gave the Hokage a small smile before grabbing a chair and moving it towards the side of his desk.

"So how are you and Mito doing?" She asked as she read through the first scroll on the pile. Izumi felt slightly guilty because she hasn't been able to actually see Mito in the past few weeks because of how busy she was.

"We're doing well actually." He suddenly turned red and leaned towards her, his face barely an inch away from hers. "Every time I see her, I get all...tingly, like there are butterflies in my stomach." Her eyes widened and she gently pushed her friend back in his seat, slightly shocked at how close he came to her.

Personal space was a very big thing to Izumi.

"Hashirama, that's called _liking_ someone." She said, hoping that he understood she didn't like his face that close to hers.

"Really? How exciting!" He smiled and then grabbed her hands. "Did you feel like that with Tobirama?"

"Um..." She tried to gently pull her hands away but for some unknown reason, Hashirama wouldn't let go of her. "I guess. I got easily embarrassed around him." Izumi answered with a strained smile.

"Even _more_ exciting!" He let go of her and spun in his chair. "She's so beautiful and nice. Her red hair..." He sighed with a smile on his face, acting like a lovestruck teenager – this man was turning 26 this year, it shocked Izumi sometimes when she realized how...childish he was. He then grabbed her hands _again. _"And her eyes, I just get lost in them."

"How wonderful Hashirama, if only you could get Tobirama to say these things to me. That man is as dense as a rock, I tell you." She muttered while pulling her hand, yet again, away.

"Say what to you?" Izumi whirled around in her seat and saw Tobirama sitting on the couch, smirking at her with his usual smugness.

"She wants you to tell her basically all the things I say about Mito." Hashirama answered, _not helping at all. _Izumi glared at him before turning back to her fiancé.

His only response was to raise an eyebrow before he sauntered over to where she sat. "You want me to...tell you how your hair is as beautiful as a cloudless night sky?" He whispered from behind her into her right ear. Tobirama ran his hands through her hair before moving to her left ear. "Or do you want me to say how I get trapped under a spell whenever I look into your eyes?" He whispered with even a lower voice, his lips almost touching her ear. Izumi just sat there, getting redder and stiffer by the second while Hashirama sat in his seat, trying to contain in his laughter. "Maybe you even want me to say you have beautiful lips?" He moved his face in front of hers, his eyes lit up with mischief and amusement. Tobirama then brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, almost seductively.

But then he decided to ruin it.

He brought both of his hands to her cheeks and pushed them together, causing her lips to pucker up like a fish. "But how can I? The words that come out of your mouth rivals any man in anger." Izumi felt her eye twitch in anger.

The nerve of this man!

She tried to push him away, but was failing. She could hear Hashirama bursting with laughter from behind Tobirama. The white-haired idiot on the other hand was smirking yet again, feeling accomplished with what he just did.

_Cough_

Their heads all whirled around to the door and saw Mito standing there awkwardly, unsure of what was happening at the moment. All she saw was Tobirama squeezing Izumi's face while her husband holding his stomach because of laughter.

Using this moment Izumi pushed Tobirama away. "Thank Kami you're here right now Mito. These brothers are complete _idiots_."

Hashirama raised his hand. "I think calling the Hokage an idiot is illegal."

She shot him a glare. "Fine then, _lock me up_."

"Somebody is getting a little kinky." Izumi started coughing and turning even _more_ red at Tobirama's comment. She shoved her hand in his face and pushed him back while she continued to cough. But even he could not contain his own amusement at the situation because he started laughing, which was a rare occurrence.

Tobirama's laughter was infectious and by the time Izumi finally stopped coughing she was actually _laughing_ along with everyone else in the room.

* * *

_**One month later…**_

**July**

* * *

"I want to become strong like Izumi-sama one day!" Akane shouted out. Izumi could not help but smile at the little girl's determination.

"There are many people stronger than me Akane-chan."

She shook her head. "But they are all men! I want to become a strong Kunoichi one day so that I can protect the people I love." Hearing this, Izumi felt something akin to sadness at what Akane said. "Will you become my Sensei then, Izumi-sama?"

"That's a serious question now, isn't it?" She furiously nodded her head. "We'll see. It would be nice for you to become my student, wouldn't it?"

"No, you almost maimed us remember?" Izumi just sighed and turned around to see a 14 year old Hiruzen and Danzō staring at her.

"Akane-chan, go back to your brother okay? I'll talk to you later."

"O-Okay then! Bye Izumi-sama!" The little girl ran off, leaving the two teens alone with the Kunoichi.

"What do you two want?"

"Well-"

"Tobirama-Sensei is busy today and we want you to train with us Izumi." Izumi stared at Danzō, taken aback at his tone and disrespect towards her. Sure, she may be 22 years old, but to be talked like that by a 14 year old?

_No._

"Whoa whoa _whoa_, before we talk about _any_ type of training what the hell was that Danzō?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "I don't care much for your tone, and who gave you permission to call me by my name only?" He only made a _tch_ sound and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to even look at her.

Izumi felt her blood boil. The only other thing she hated the most other than people hurting her loved ones was _disrespect_. She's had to deal with many people disrespecting her and the position she was in because of her gender, and those people? They were quick to realize that she was someone who was not to be messed with because many went home _injured_.

Izumi stormed up to him and grabbed the teen by his shirt and brought her face close to his. "I will _not_ be treated by disrespect, _boy_. Learn your place. I am a _Clan Head_, I will be treated as such until I say otherwise." She was still taller than him and that slightly scared him, so it made some sadistic part of her happy when she saw slight fear appear in his eyes.

Hiruzen on the other hand gave out an uneasy laugh before pulling her away from his teammate. "W-What he meant I-Izumi-Sensei was that we were wondering_—_if you had the time of course_—_if you wanted to spar with us?"

She looked at Hiruzen. Izumi's always liked him, he knew his manners and always respected her_—_in his own way of course_—_and that was what she liked. Danzō on the other hand got worse over the years. When she first met the young teen he was still a little disrespectful, but not to the point where Izumi had to tell the boy.

But to put it plainly, she's never liked him. He was too...dark, mean.

Izumi opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she felt something in the air change. She looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but something was different, and it put her on edge. "Go home. I'm busy."

"But-"

"Hiruzen, Danzō, I said to go home. Don't make me say it again." She said but not before pointing to the Shimura. "And _you_, you better learn your manners. Some other people are not as nice as I was today at telling you." And with that, she left them behind to head towards the Hokage Tower.

The amount of time it took for Izumi to reach the tower would have made Tobirama proud. Ignoring the protesting shinobi manning the front desk, she went straight to Hashirama's office. "Hashirama." She said while pushing open the door.

Izumi had to stop in her steps when she saw what he was doing. Tobirama was helping him put on _battle armor._ Seeing this, she knew immediately something bad must have happened.

"What's happened?" Hashirama looked at her and when their eyes met, she saw sadness, remorse.

"I'm sorry Izumi." He looked down.

Her hands balled into fists. She felt it in the air earlier and judging by Hashirama's body language, it was obvious to what he was apologizing for. "It's my brother isn't it? It's Madara?" Tobirama nodded his head. "That goddamn idiot." She didn't notice at first but when she looked at her fiance, he too was wearing his armor.

"I'm going."

"Izumi-"

"You have no right to tell me no, that man is my _brother." _Tobirama tried protesting but Hashirama just held his hand up.

"You can come. I've gotten word that Kyūbi has appeared somewhere near Madara's location. We'll need you if I am not able to control it."

Izumi bowed her head and left to go back to get her armor.

* * *

"Kagami?" Izumi shouted out inside the house.

"I'm in here Izumi-nee!" She looked into his bedroom and saw him reading a book.

She walked up to him and looked at him in the eyes. "I need to you go to Mito's house today, okay?"

"Why?"

"Tobirama and I won't be home. We're going on a mission." Kagami frowned but listened to her without protesting. She packed up a bag for him to stay overnight with Mito. "Here, don't forget this." Izumi handed him one of Tobirama's special kunai's.

She dropped him off at Mito and the only thing the older lady did was nod her head. "Please make sure he comes back." She asked. Izumi nodded her head and kissed Kagami's forehead.

"I'll come pick you up when I get back, okay?" He nodded his head. "I love you."

"I love you too Izumi-nee."

She turned and left.

When Izumi was changing into her battle clothes, she didn't notice the black shadow moving across the room. Tying her armor on and double-checking for her weapons, she went to tie her hitai-ate when she saw something that caught her eye. An abnormally dark shadow in her room.

_Zetsu_.

Izumi made a move to leave but the Black Zetsu appeared in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "**You will be a nuisance to Madara-sama's plan.**" He grabbed her head and that was when she felt a pain like never before go throughout it.

She screamed and tried to push the _thing _off of her, but the pain was causing her to forget about everything that was happening all around was screaming and from the far edges of her mind she could hear a voice she hasn't heard in two years, Connie's.

_**'**__**Izumi, stop him!**__**'**_

"Get the fuck off me!" Izumi tried to go through handseals but there was a popping sound in her ear and she was left immobile because of pain. She fell down, her head hitting the ground hard.

"**With this, your memories will be destroyed.**" The Black Zetsu removed himself from her and stood up, looking into the blank eyes of Uchiha Izumi. "**Stay here for now, once Madara-sama has won he will come for you.**"

* * *

_**One hour later…**_

* * *

When Izumi reopened her eyes, the only thing she felt was a pain in her head. That Black Zetsu had disappeared off to who knows where and that slightly relieved her.

Only for a second though, because she soon realized something was off about her.

_**'Izumi…'**_

"Connie..." Izumi whispered out loud. Connie's voice was too quiet, almost as if it was...broken.

_**'He tried...to erase your...memory… I kept...them safe...but that meant...dying.'**_

"Wait-"

_**'My time...is short...I leave...my own memories of...this place...to you… Be careful...your brother is…not himself anymore.' **_Another burst of pain went throughout her mind, causing Izumi to trip and fall onto the ground. She felt so hopeless at the moment, the woman inside of her head for the past 22 years became someone that she trusted, that she may even _love_. Hearing her breaking and dying for her just infuriated Izumi even more.

_**'Thank you...for this second...chance at life…Izumi…' **_It was only for a second, but Izumi swore she saw Connie smiling at her while tears fell from her eyes.

And with another burst of pain, the being known as Connie disappeared, dying again for the second time.

By the time Izumi reached the Hokage Tower after her fight with the Black Zetsu, she found out that the two Senju brothers had already left after getting news of the Kyūbi getting nearer to the village. She could understand why, looking at the time she could tell that she had passed out an hour ago.

At the moment, she had pushed Connie's death into the far back of her mind. As much as she wanted to cry and scream over her loss, she knew that Connie wouldn't want her to do that, she'd want Izumi to do the most logical thing and that would be to follow after Hashirama and Tobirama. Out pure anger and annoyance, she couldn't help but punch the wall next to one of the windows in Hashirama's office. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Izumi moved away.

She has some running to do.

* * *

_Hashirama_

* * *

"Madara, please don't make me do this!"

"You don't understand, I've already reached it Hashirama!" Madara answered, his eyes red with his Mangekyō Sharingan. The Susanoo-clad Kyūbi roared below him, its eyes identical to the Uchiha's Kekkei Genkai.

"Then you leave me no choice." Hashirama went through handseals, his black markings around his eyes making them stand out even more. "Senpō Mokuton: Shin Sūsenju!" He just hoped that this brother was okay, that he was safe against whatever thing that had attacked them earlier.

"_HASHIRAMA!_"

"_MADARA!"_

* * *

Tobirama heaved with all his strength, but his arms would not budge an inch. Whatever..._thing _that was attached to him had full control over his own limbs. He could not control _anything_ and it was starting to infuriate the young man. Not to mention, the thing had absorbed almost all his chakra, he could barely feel it, yet alone sense with it.

"Let my body go." He growled out, but the darker and demonic voice of the black humanoid creature just laughed.

"**You will die, **_**Senju**_**,**" It spat out his surname with disgust. "**And I will enjoy it greatly.**" Tobirama could feel it moving his arms in search of a weapon. He couldn't die here, not today, not when he had many more things to do.

He made a promise to her that he wouldn't leave.

With pure determination flowing throughout his body, Tobirama growled and forced _anything_, just _anything_, to move so he could live another day. He saw his arms move away from the kunai, he _watched_ as he won over the thing controlling him.

"**Tsk tsk tsk, that will not do. You are to die today.**" But sadly, his victory was short-lived. Tobirama sat there and watched as it gained control of his limbs all over again and this time, he knew that he did not have the strength to try again. "**You are a powerful man and must not be taken lightly. I will have to use more concentration to maintain my control over you.**" And so Tobirama let his head fall to his chest, trying to give it the false image of defeat when in reality, he was thinking of a plan. "**It was wise to give up Senju.**"

But it was too late, there was no plan that could save the white-haired Senju. So there was nothing Tobirama could do but watch as he stood up and grabbed the katana that laid on the floor with numerous other weapons. It made his hand grab onto the hilt of his weapon and move it to where the blade was facing inward onto his body. This was it, he was going to die. He was going to break the one promise he _vowed_ to himself and Izumi to never break. "**Meet your fate Senju.**" He closed his eyes and the sword was brought inward onto his body. The one thing he regretted most was never telling Izumi goodbye.

But fate was a cruel being, and it seemed that it had something different in mind.

_Thrust_

Tobirama could only watch in slow motion as a flash of familiar black hair ran in between the weapon and himself, causing the blade to thrust into her instead of him. Whatever controlling his body let him go, but he could do nothing but watch as Izumi brought a shaky hand up to his cheek while she gave him a sad smile. "T-Tobirama." She coughed and blood dribbled out from her mouth. She then fell against his chest, and that was when whatever stupor Tobirama was in disappeared.

"_No_." He was quick to move his arms around her and onto the hilt of the katana. Without a hesitation, he pulled it out carefully.

"I-It h-hurts." Tobirama sat down and laid Izumi's head onto his legs. He looked down at her abdomen and saw a large circle of blood pooling underneath her. Placing his hand onto her wound, he pressed down to try to stop whatever blood loss he could.

"W-Why Izumi?" He asked desperately, his voice breaking at the end. She lifted her hand to his chest and smiled. Tobirama tried to ignore the blood smeared on her teeth but couldn't, it was only a reminder that she was going to _die_.

"B-Because _b-baka_, I l-love you." He felt a tear fall from his eye and onto her face. "P-Please don't c-cry." A sob broke out from Tobirama's mouth and he grabbed her hand with his free one. Bringing it up to his face, he _cried_.

Out of his 25 years on this world, Tobirama has only cried three times.

"Please Izumi, you can't leave me." Totally out of character, he begged her to do something that was impossible. "_Please._

"I-I'll be w-with I-Izuna a-again, r-right?" Izumi's voice got softer and softer. "I c-can finally see h-him again." She turned her head and looked at Tobirama. She was so cold, but so tired at the same time. Was this how it felt, to die? "B-But that m-means I have t-to l-leave you." Her eyelids were getting heavier and heavier as the seconds passed. "I-I'm sorry." Blood dribbled down the side of her mouth. She wanted to go to sleep and the temptation to do so was high, but just not high enough. Not yet.

"_Izumi._"

It broke Izumi's heart to see the man that she loved break down in front of her, to look to lost. "I-I love you T-Tobirama."

At this point Tobirama was crying hard, harder than ever. "I love you too. I'll be here every step of the way, okay?" His voice cracked at the end of the sentence. "I'll always be there for you." He watched as Izumi nodded her head and smiled at him before closing her eyes.

She was still alive, but barely. Her breaths were getting shallower by the minute and he knew by the abnormal paleness in her skin that she didn't have long until she succumbed to her wound.

"Tobirama?" Hearing the sudden voice behind him, he raised his head still not quite believing it. "Is that...Izumi?" He whirled around and saw his older brother's wife standing by a tree, worry etched onto her face.

"M-Mito?" She noticed his tears and ran forward.

His hand shook as he grabbed Mito's arm. "Can you save her?"

She kneeled down to the side of the fallen Uchiha and ripped off her armor and as she inspected the wound, she frowned. "I may be able too, but I don't know. I'll try though." Tobirama wiped away his tears and watched as Mito's hands glowed green with the telltale sign of Iryo-ninjutsu.

Izumi may survive, _she may survive._

* * *

**A/N:**_ And I might get hate because of this ending but eh, I don't really care. I thought that I haven't really put out a cliffhanger like this in a while and felt that it was about time too. I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter though because I sure as hell did with the beginning. I was on a roll, I was like sitting here with my computer on my bed, just typing away._

_I am very proud of this chapter for some reason and I can't really figure out why, but idk._

_You know, I was very _**_very_**_ tempted to have Black Zetsu actually stab Tobirama instead of Izumi, but then I was like NAH. Hehe._

_(You know I think this _**_A/N _**_is getting a little weird and it's probably due to the fact that I am legit posting this at three in the morning. Maybe it's just me?)_

_So I had this wonderful and brilliant idea that popped into my head thirty minutes ago. What if, Uchiha Shisui, was actually Izumi and Tobirama's grandson? Like, Shisui was just a boss as the body-flicker jutsu and Tobirama was known for his speed...so, what do you think? Idk yet that is still in development mode xD And if I do decide to go along with this plan that would mean that Izumi got pregnant and blah blah blah. But it's a pretty good idea though right? I really want to tie in Naruto Canon with this story._

_But I do hope that I did Tobirama's character some justice, idk why but it was really hard to write the ending just because it was slightly from his perspective. But anywho, I hoped you are screaming and cursing at me because of this ending :D_

_Totally recommending the _**_Hush, Hush_**_ series by _**_Becca Fitzpatrick_**_ because I love this series and it was actually one of the few books that got me into reading._

_SO I REALLY WANT TO KNOW YOUR OPINIONS ON THIS CHAPTER BECAUSE idk. But if you guys do give me enough reviews, the chapter will probably be written up in a snap because I totally get motivated to write when I see that. _

_Review = Faster chapter upload = Cliffhanger not cliffhanger anymore._

_So review and don't forget to follow/fav. if you haven't already!_

_Until next time!~ _

* * *

**Senpō Mokuton: Shin Sūsenju = **Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands


	24. Death

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS AND/OR PLOTS. I ONLY OWN IZUMI AND ANY OTHER OC.

* * *

**_TRIGGER WARNING:_ THERE IS MENTION OF SUICIDE SO IF IT HAPPENS TO BE A TRIGGER OR IF IT JUST HAPPENS TO BOTHER YOU, PLEASE DO NOT READ PAST THE ONE YEAR TIMESKIP.**

**I REPEAT, PLEASE DO NOT READ AFTER THE ONE YEAR TIME SKIP.**

* * *

**It's too easy, you see, to get rapped in the past. The past is very seductive. People always talk about the mists of time, you know, but really it's the present that's in a mist, uncertain. The past is quite clear, and warm, and comforting. That's why people often get stuck there.**

Susanna Kearsley, _Mariana_

* * *

**Death  
**

A groan filled the room and soon after, the rustling of blankets could be heard. Sitting up on the futon was no other than a confused Uchiha Izumi.

"Huh?" Izumi looked around and rubbed her eyes. This couldn't have been right… She was back in her childhood house, judging by the room she was in.

"What the fuck..." Standing up, the first thing she did was pull up her shirt to look at the wound that should have killed her, but instead of bandages—or the cut itself—all she saw was her skin. No scar, nothing. She took another look around the room. Everything was where it was before Konoha was created; her drawings, weapons, furniture, _everything was the same_. And judging by the sun shining in through her curtain-less window, it was still morning too. Where was she? Was this the afterlife?

But Izumi didn't have any time to ponder over these facts because the reality of her current situation finally hit her.

She was dead. She left behind Mito, Hashirama, Tobirama, _Kagami_. Izumi looked down at the ring that she had grown so accustomed to wearing and felt...regret. Sure, she never really thought about what the future had in store for her, but she still wanted to at least have a family or at least get married. Of course, it was purely her choice when she jumped in between Tobirama and his katana, but still.

As much as Izumi wanted to cry over her losses, she could suddenly hear the sounds of someone—or something—moving around in what used to be her kitchen. Pushing her emotions to the back of her mind, her Shinobi instincts kicked in and she grabbed the katana laying against the wall. Quietly sliding open her door, she was careful to not make any sounds. She was quick to get to the end of the hall, but the person in the kitchen had their back turned to her. "Izumi, please stop sneaking around. It's not like there are any other people in the house."

Hearing the voice of the speaker made her stop dead in her tracks. "Who are you?" She demanded, still sticking to the shadows of the hallway. It couldn't be… If this person was who she really thought it was, it meant she really _was _dead.

"Baka, I'm not some imposter either." Izumi took a careful step out of the hall and narrowed her eyes at the figure standing by the sinks.

"Am I dead then?"

The person shook their head. "No, but your answers will be asked if you drop the katana _onee-chan__._" The sentence ended with the person finally turning around and smiling, one full of understanding and joy.

Not many people knew that Izumi was the older twin; she was born roughly 15 minutes earlier than him. But when it came down to the Elders eyes, she was weak—a _girl, _they said—so it was made clear that if something were to happen to the three older brothers, Izuna would become Clan Head instead of Izumi, despite him being the younger one. It never bothered her, but what she never liked was that as they got older, more and more people thought Izuna to be the older twin. But whenever Izumi had expressed her feelings towards that topic the only thing her brother would do was laugh and smile, showing her that he didn't care. It probably didn't help that they didn't use the 'proper' honorifics towards each other. Whenever they did, it was just for play.

But that smile...there was no faking it.

Her katana fell to the ground with a clang and her knees soon followed. Her arms hung limply at her sides as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "_Izuna_."

* * *

_He was going to die and there was nothing she could do to save him. _

"_I-Izuna." She cried out, her voice thick with emotion._

_Her twin lifted his hands up to find her. He was blind now, he couldn't see anymore because of the transfer. She grabbed a hold of his hand and placed it on her cheek. "Izumi." His voice was so quiet, barely audible. "I'm...sorry."_

"_W-What are you sorry about, baka?" Izumi tried to keep her voice light, as if she wasn't bothered by the fact that he was going to die, no matter what. _

_But there was no fooling her brother._

_Izuna just gave her a weak smile smiled and laughed. But in his condition, his laugh sounded more like a soft sigh. "You're...right. Nothing to be...sorry about." Her grip on his hands tightened. "Tell me...about your...day."_

_She was crying at this point and sniffling, not bothering to hide them. "I f-finished reading that b-book and then after t-that, I checked on Madara, just like you asked." These were all lies when in fact, she was crying in her room from the moment she woke up._

"_That book...I got you?" She nodded her head and despite not being able to see, Izuna knew that. "Did...you like it?"_

"_I l-loved it." _

"_That's...wonderful." He turned his head to her. There was a cloth tied over his eyes so no one would notice how he didn't have any. "I...want to tell...you something."_

"_What?"_

_His breathing was slowing down, his voice getting softer and softer. "I love...you." His head moved to face the ceiling. There was one last smile on his face. "...Izumi." He breathed out her name and along with it, his last breath._

_Izumi knew the exact moment he died. Something in her broke the moment his heart stop; it was almost as if her own heart stopped as well. There was this...emptiness in her that she knew meant he was gone._

"_I-Izuna?" She let go of his hand and watched it fall motionlessly to the ground. "Izuna?!" She placed her head against his chest, desperate to hear anything. "No no no!" She was in denial. He couldn't have died, he couldn't have!_

_But deep down inside, she already knew. Her best friend, her brother, her _twin_, was gone. _

_And she didn't even say goodbye._

* * *

She was crying into his chest, a familiar scent she never thought she would ever be able to smell again. "I-Izuna!" Her arms wrapped around her twin's torso, so tight that it would have seemed like she'd never let go. She was bawling into his clothes, not embarrassed by the slightest bit. But what was not shocking was that her brother was doing the same thing, but unlike Izumi, he was able to contain in his own tears.

It took the twins a while to calm down, but when they did the first thing they did was share a laugh. "I missed you." Izumi said to him. Her twin's arms tightened around her before he helped her stand up.

"I did too Izumi." He led them to the familiar kitchen table and sat down. Izumi looked around and Izuna noticed a certain type of darkness in her eyes that he never saw before. She caught him looking at her and she rose an eyebrow, wondering what he was looking at.

The twins talked much to each other but they also didn't have to either. A lot of their conversations were a majority of face expression and hand motions—not that they never talked, they _always_ talked. But when either Izuna or Izumi didn't feel like doing that, they simply...motioned to each other what they were thinking.

"Your eyes, they've changed."

"Really? I guess I wouldn't know." Izumi brought her left hand to her face and brushed her hair back when Izuna suddenly grabbed her wrist from across the table, inciting a surprised yelp from her.

"A ring?" He asked, staring at the silver band on her ring finger.

She turned red and pulled her hand away, grumbling about personal space. "It's nothing." She changed the subject, not wanting to go down the road about Tobirama. "There's obviously a bigger question I want to ask."

Her brother sighed. Of course there was, it was written all across her face. "You want to know if you're dead?" Izumi nodded her head. "Then the answer is no, but you're almost dead."

"Oh…then where am I?"

"We're not quite in the afterlife, but in a place before it. It's for restless, angry spirits, mostly."

"But what about you then? Are you a restless spirit then?" He laughed at her question. "No, I'm the rare five percent of souls that just weren't ready to move on yet."

Izumi tapped her fingers against the table. "Then why am I here? If I'm not dead, why aren't I back in the real world?"

"You tell me, why _are_ you here?" Her twin leaned back in his chair. "I can't see what's happening right now Izumi."

Her head fell and she looked as if she was in pain. "Madara." She said. Izumi's hands had bunched up her pants into her fists. "It's all because of him."

"Madara? What did he do this time?"

She shook her head. "It's not what he did, it's what he's _doing _right now as we speak."

And so Izumi told her brother everything. Of Konoha, Kagami, Tobirama, Kazuyo—e_verything_.

* * *

"What the hell..." Izuna growled out. Izumi just sat there, mentally worn out because of everything she just said.

"I don't think...Hashirama can stop him, not like the way he is right now." She remembered running in the forest, the vile feeling of the Kyūbi's chakra. "A-And there's no way that I can wrestle control of the Bijū from him, not with my Sharingan." She suddenly let out a dark chuckle. "But that's only if I don't die." Izuna didn't reply—in fact, she could tell that he was thinking about something. "What are you thinking about?"

Izuna looked at her with a seriousness that she remembered seeing only before battles. "There's a way to stop him."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I can't get anywhere near him even if there _was_ a jutsu to use. He'd block or avoid it in a second." Izumi started tapping her finger against the side of her head. "Remember? He's a natural-born genius. I, on the other hand, am not."

But Izuna only shook his head. "This jutsu is fairly an easy one to cast, it's the consequences of using it that I'm worried about."

"Well, lay it on me. What's the jutsu?"

"It's called Izanami. The jutsu was originally created to stop members of our clan that went mad with power because of it's partner jutsu, Izanagi."

"Those are...weird names for jutsus."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I've heard weirder ones. But anyways, Izanami is a jutsu that decides your destiny while Izanagi changes it."

Izumi was surprised. To think, there were powerful jutsus like those. "Izanagi to change fate and Izanami that decides it… Those jutsus sound suspiciously like they were created for the only means of cheating death." But she realized something. For a jutsu _that_ powerful, there had to be a cost, some type of payment from the user. And she didn't even have to ask, Izuna seemed to already know what she was wondering.

"Using the jutsu means you loose power of the Sharingan _and_ one of your eyes."

"There's the catch..." She mumbled.

"But if it was to stop a madman from killing everyone?" Izumi balled her hands into fists and stared at the wooden surface of the table. To the Uchiha, their eyes were everything, especially if you had the Sharingan. To just...give that power up forever, could she really do something like that?

"If I could just talk to him-"

"Did that work the last time? Judging by your story, he got even more angry."

But still… It was her eyesight-

No, she would do it. She _had_ too. If it would save her loved ones and Konoha, then she'd do it.

"There's just one slight problem Izuna, I don't even know if I'll survive."

He just shook his head. "Yes, you will. I don't think you'll be joining me just yet." She looked at him questioningly, confused at what he was saying. He just pointed to her and gave her a sad, knowing smile. When Izumi looked at her chest, she gasped.

There was a soft, golden light at where her heart was at that kept getting brighter and brighter by the second.

Her head flew up to meet Izuna's eyes, only to see tears pooling around the corners of his eyes. Izumi was quick to connect the pieces. It meant that she was going back to the living, it meant that somebody was saving her.

"N-No!" She jumped out of her chair and pushed the table away so she could reach her twin. "That means you're leaving m-me again!" Izumi cried out. She quickly wrapped her arms around Izuna and held onto him as if he was her lifeline.

"We'll meet again Izumi." She looked up him with tears streaming down her face and saw that he too, was crying. But he was smiling at her, trying to make their farewell less...depressing. Sometime during her crying, Izuna had stood up from his chair and held on to her, fully knowing that she was not able to stand on her own. "They say that if you love something so much, when you let them go they'll come back one day."

"_Izuna-_"

"I'll come back one day. We'll be reunited as a family again so until then, _live_. Live for my son, live for the village that you've grown so fond of. Live for our Clan and for our fallen family." Izuna removed her arms from him. He gripped her hands tightly with his and touched their foreheads together. He nodded his head. "So _live_. Just...be careful of that man. I've never liked him, also thought he was an insensitive bastard. But...you love him. I'll always be there, watching out for you _o__nē-chan._"

Izumi nodded her head and felt a genuine smile form on her face. "I will, _otouto._" She had her eyes closed, but knew that Izuna was smiling. The light from her chest was getting even brighter and she realized that it meant that she had seconds left before she would have to part ways with her brother again, so she didn't make the same mistake as last time.

"Goodbye Izuna."

* * *

The first thing Izumi did was start gasping for air the moment her eyes flew open.

"Izumi, calm down!" Ignoring the voice, she pushed herself of whoever she was laying on and backed up away from them until she hit a tree. She needed to take deep breaths, she needed to calm herself down.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Realizing where she was and what had happened, she looked up and saw the one person she never thought she'd see. "M-Mito?" She exclaimed, her voice still weak from what was probably the blood loss. Looking around, she could see Tobirama unconscious against a tree. Izumi's eyes widened and she rushed up to where he was, ignoring Mito's complaints. She gingerly placed her hands against his face and wiped away the mud and blood from it.

"It didn't take long for him to pass out after realizing that I had your wound stabilized. I'm guessing chakra exhaustion, judging by his state." When Mito had mentioned her wound, Izumi's looked at her abdomen and realized that all there was left of it was was a think, pink line.

"Since when were you an iryo-nin?" She asked.

The red-head shrugged her shoulders. "For a very long time. I'm sorry about your shirt and armor, I had to rip them both off of you to actually heal you."

Izumi waved her hand, showing Mito that she didn't care. "Why are you even here? You're supposed to be at Konoha."

"I realized that if something were to happened to Hashirama if he wouldn't be able to control the Kyūbi, I would...seal it."

She narrowed her eyes at the older woman. "Where, exactly, would you seal it?" Mito moved her mouth and answered, but the angry roar of said Bijū rang throughout the forest, interrupting their conversation. "Never mind, stay with Tobirama for now. I think I know of a way to stop my brother."

"Wait-"

Izumi never head the end of her sentence because she shunshined off, ignoring the slight pain coming from the newly healed wound.

* * *

_Madara_

* * *

"Please Madara, stop!" Hashirama pleaded with Madara. They both were tired, they had expended much of their chakra in this fight "There is no good that will come out of this!" He hated him, he hated with a passion that could rival his love for Koizumi. That man had everything, he still had his own sibling and a damn _lover_. The whole village viewed him as a God, as the _hero_. What did Madara have? A sister that hated him? A village and Clan that scowled at his existence? This was why Hashirama would have never understood his reasons for this. It wasn't purely for the sake of revenge, he wanted closure. He wanted an _end_.

"You don't understand. _I _need this fight Hashirama!" He pointed his gunbai at Hashirama. "You may have left the battlefield, but I haven't. I _never_ did!" But before any of them could take another step into battle, the two shinobi sensed a familiar chakra running towards them.

Izumi.

She jumped out of the trees surrounding them and looked him. Not at Hashirama, not at the Kyūbi, but _him_.

"Madara, stop this madness!" She shouted out. She had her Sharingan activated, but not her Mangekyō. A fool, he thought. She would never stop him without it, she wasn't strong enough.

"Never."

Izumi scowled and just like he wanted, her Sharingan melting into her Mangekyō that was identical to her twin's. Madara was arrogant, he thought that he had the stronger Sharingan out of the two. He thought that he wouldn't get caught in a genjutsu. Despite the distance between them, the sharpness of their sight because of their Kekkei Genkai let them stare at each other straight into the eyes.

"Tsukuyomi." Izumi whispered. His eyes caught her mouth moving in those words and he let out an angry shout when he realized that he had fallen into her trap.

The strongest genjutsu that could only be used by a Sharingan user.

* * *

"That genjutsu won't hold him for long Hashirama, and I can tell that you're tired." Izumi said, never letting her eyes stray from the Kyūbi's.

He nodded his head. "Yes, but someone has to stop him." He wanted to say more, but when he felt the familiar vibrant chakra of his wife, he sighed. He should have known that she would have came and followed after them.

The former Uzumaki jumped out of the trees that surrounded them. "Hashirama, I can stop the Kyūbi."

"How-"

"I'll seal him into myself. I'll become it's container." Izumi let herself break eye contact with the still controlled Kyūbi. This...was what she guessed Mito had meant earlier near Tobirama, and if this was what she thought best then who was to stop her?

"A Jinchūriki? That's unheard of-"

Mito just shook her head and held up her hand. "I have too."

"Wait, this is too risky, even for a Fūin Master like you Mito. I'll-"

Izumi suddenly walked up to Hashirama and grabbed his shoulders. She agreed with Mito, she thought this was a good idea. Sure, she may be risking her friend's life because of it but still. "I almost _died _fighting whatever thing Madara teamed up with and Tobirama's unconscious because of chakra exhaustion. We don't have time for you to find another solution." She looked at him in the eyes. "As much as this bothers me too, Mito is our only solution for survival at this current moment. If you end up using your power to control the Kyūbi, you won't have any to fight Madara and you're the only one who _can_."

"You think I don't know that?" Hashirama argued. "I just-"

She shook him, her tone revealing how annoyed and angry she was at the moment. "You're the Hokage, your people come first. Mito is your wife, I totally understand. You're worried of the consequences of sealing the Kyūbi. But right now, she's not the only person who you have to worry about." Letting go of Hashirama, Izumi pointed to the large Bijū behind them. "Once my brother break's out of the genjutsu—and he _will_—he'll control the Kyūbi and force it to attack Konoha. As the Hokage, as our _leader_, are you not supposed to stop it? Are you _not _supposed to make choices that are right for us, and not just yourself?"

The words she just said made Hashirama realize that she was right. With his brother out of the fight, he would be the only one. Judging by the blood coating Izumi's skin, she couldn't fight her own brother, not the way he was right now. That man is not the man Hashirama once called a friend, he was now their enemy. "Fine." He walked up to Mito and suddenly grabbed her. "Stay safe." He gave her a kiss, one that he hoped transferred how he felt at the moment.

Izumi respectfully turned away and continued her control of the powerful Bijū. If she could take control of the Kyūbi, did that mean she could search its mind, perhaps even talk to it? As much as it sounded foolish, she couldn't help but...try. Closing her eyes, Izumi imagined talking to the _real_ Kyūbi instead of the one being controlled.

"_**Yo**__**u**_** dare approach me, human?**" Her eyes flew open and she saw herself standing before the large monster. He was behind a large fence and was staring at her with hatred filled red eyes.

"Kyūbi-sama." Izumi placed her hands on the sides of her body and bowed as low as she could. "I am sorry for the actions of my eldest brother. I understand he took you from your home and forced you to fight us."

"**You ****humans are so ignorant. ****You do the same as he does, yet you try to **_**apologize? **_**Pathetic****.**"

She shook her head. "I understand why you think this, but I do not wish to control you for personal gain, just like I do not want to do we are about to do."

The fox snarled at her with his large, sharp teeth snapping at her menacingly. "**But you**** plan to seal me within that Uzumaki**_**. **_**I may not be in control of my own body but I still hear, I still see.**" His nine tails moved behind him. "**Your apology is futile, Uchiha. You may think that just by bowing, all will be forgiven. Your kind is spoiled and weak, a cancer to this world.**"

Izumi realized that the fox Bijū sitting in front of her hated humankind. The Killing Intent he was emitting, she was surprised she wasn't a melting pile of goo yet. But...she understood why he hated them. He was forcibly taken from his home, only to be controlled to attack without his freewill. "I understand." Standing up straight, Izumi stared at the Kyūbi before getting onto her knees and bowing. Her head on the ground and her arms at her side, she closed her eyes. "You may not forgive me and my actions, but I will apologize nonetheless."

"**...What is your name, human?**"

"Uchiha Izumi." Sitting up, she looked at the Kyūbi one more time. "Thank you for even bothering to listen to my apology." Closing her eyes once again, she removed herself out of his mind.

"Izumi?" Whirling around, she saw Hashirama and Mito looking at her puzzlingly. "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing. Are you ready Mito?" The redhead nodded her head and asked everyone to take a few steps back. She still had control over the Kyūbi, but felt immensely guilty over it. She knew that it wouldn't have forgiven her, but she still felt that an apology was needed for the aged Bijū.

Mito went through several handseals that Izumi caught on accident because of her Sharingan. It immediately copied it and transferred it to her knowledge of ninjutsu and fūinjutsu. "Shishō Fūin!" She slammed her hands into the ground and below her and the Kyūbi a large black seal appeared. It glowed with a light so bright that Izumi had to look away. Mito was screaming with what was probably pain, but Hashirama and Izumi both knew that they couldn't help her with what was happened.

Sometime during this, her control over the Kyūbi was broken. "**You insolent humans! You will rue this day, I swear! I will destroy and kill everything you hold dear!**" The fox shouted out. But with another large pulse of light, he disappeared and Mito collapsed onto the ground.

"Mito!" Hashirama shot forward and caught his wife. The seal she had used had burned a hole in her kimono and when they looked at her abdomen, there was a large seal that now contained the Kyūbi. She was unconscious and Izumi could see why, her chakra reserves were low, lower than they were before. Mito was borderline chakra exhausted, Izumi guessed.

Turning to where the Kyūbi last stood, her brother was crumpled on the ground, still caught in her Tsukuyomi. But judging by the slight movements he was making and because she could technically 'see' her brother in the genjutsu she controlled, he would break out any minute. "I'll take her back to where Tobirama is." Izumi went up to Hashirama and took his hand. "Please, stop my brother."

His grip on her hand tightened and he looked up at her, meeting her eyes. "I will. I swear it." He released his hand from Izumi and handed the unconscious body of his wife to her. He helped place Mito on her back and watched as Izumi bowed her head to him.

"Good luck."

* * *

As Izumi sensed for Tobirama's chakra, she felt Mito starting to awaken.

"I-Izumi?"

"Mito, you're awake!" She paused at where she was and looked at her friend. "Are you okay?"

She nodded her head but winced. "Yes, but I can tell that any hopes of using chakra will be useless."

"I figured as much." Izumi started jogging, still continuing to talk to Mito. "What did you do with Tobirama? I can't sense his chakra."

"I placed a barrier seal around him. It conceals his chakra signature and any attacker from entering."

She nodded her head. "And you're the only one who can deactivate it, right?"

"Well, it probably already is deactivated and if not, it will be soon, judging by my chakra levels." Mito said. "And not to mention the demonic chakra that's burning through my system."

As soon as Mito finished talking, Izumi was able to sense Tobirama's chakra signature, which meant that the barrier surrounding him had disappeared. "Well, I can sense Tobirama nearby. Get some rest Mito." But her friend was already asleep, snoring softly into her ear.

* * *

_Madara_

* * *

"Just _stop_ Madara, there's no point!" Hashirama panted out. "You can barely keep your Sharingan activated!"

"No, I will not." Madara too a step forward on the river than ran below him. He raised his gunbai and ran forward, fulling intending to kill his former friend. Hashirama ducked, but didn't see the kick that he had aimed at his chest. It landed and pushed the Senju back a few feet. But he ran forward and Madara had to jump back to avoid the katana that would have taken off his head had he not avoided it.

He raised his gunbai again, but stood in shock—along with Hashirama—as a familiar chakra kicked away what was a wood clone from behind him.

"Izumi, what are you doing?!" Hashirama shouted out. But she didn't say anything and jumped to where Hashirama was standing at.

"I will fight him. I will end this fight, once and for all by my hand." She pushed him away and looked at Madara. "Just like old times, ne?"

"Izumi-" But Hashirama was ignored and she ran forward, her katana glinting in the moonlight. Madara grinned and felt the familiar rush of even _more_ adrenaline flow throughout his body. Jumping away and onto the riverbed, he stepped on a dry, dead leaf and heard the usual crunching sound and always followed. He jumped in the air and dropped a kick onto his sister, but she was able to block it with a chakra reinforced arm. She pushed him off but dropped her weapon.

"I beg you to reconsider this option Madara. Just...let go." Izumi held out her hand.

Madara's only response was to growl. He raised his arm and tried to punch her, but because of her Sharingan she was able to avoid it. But just because she had hers activated didn't mean she'd be able to protect herself against _all _his attacks. He feinted and kicked her in the side, making Izumi tumble into the rocks that laid before them.

"It's useless, imouto. I intend to finish this fight with that man, not you." He ran back to where Hashirama stood, watching the two Uchihas fight. A few dragonflies flew in front of him and that was when Madara had a quick flashback of a memory from when he was younger.

He was with a six year old Izumi and Izuna, trying to help them capture their first dragonfly. Madara remembered this with great detail because this was one of his happiest memories.

"I will not let you escape!" He turned around and growled, watching Izumi catch up to him. Stopping a few feet away from him, she raised her katana. "Please brother, _reconsider_."

"Never." He snarled. Sometime during their fight, he had dropped his own gunbai and had to resort to his own katana. Drawing it out, he raised it and waited. Madara was tired. He didn't know if he'd be able to continue his fight with Hashirama once Izumi was dealt with. But he needed too, he just _needed _to. The Uchiha siblings watched as a lone crow flew between, cawing, before flying off into the night sky.

"Then you leave me no choice." She ran forward and let their weapons clash. She disarmed him tried to grab his face, but he jumped away back towards the riverbank. Laid on the ground was his gunbai and he picked it back up. Taking a step forward, he stepped on another leaf, only to lean back to avoid a kick to his face.

He lifted his leg kicked Izumi in the chest, making her back up a few feet back onto the water. "Brother." She lifted her head and rose her hand at him again. "Please."

He narrowed his eyes and ran forward, with his gunbai. Another dragonfly flew in front of his face but he hit it out of the air. It was a nuisance. Madara tried to hit her, but she jumped in the air and kicked the gunbai out of his hands. This led to him skidding a few feet behind, yet again. "Can you not understand? This _has _to be done Izumi, whether you like it or not." He shouted out.

His sister just narrowed her eyes at him. A crow again flew between them cawing when it looked at him. "Please, _reconsider_ your plan brother! What good will this do?"

He just scowled and kneaded chakra in his stomach, preparing for a Katon jutsu. Izumi noticed this and started preparing for her own Suiton jutsu to counter it.

"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"

"Suiton: Mizurappa!"

Fire and water met and in its wake, smoke. But the water overwhelmed the man using it, forcing Madara to roll back towards the riverbed. Yet again, he stepped on another dry leaf and heard it crunch.

Looking around, there were no trees around them yet where were all these coming from? He saw the two he stepped on earlier, and the one that his foot was standing on. "What the-"

"Just take my hand and let go." Izumi walked out of the smoke with her hand held out to him.

He growled and threw his katana at her, only for her to disappear in a flock of crows. He took a step forward and a dragonfly flew in front of him. These, events they were...repeating themselves. Izumi continued saying the same things over and over again. A genjutsu? But wait, he would have been able to notice it then. The smoke over the river cleared and from across it was standing his sister. But not even a second later a crow flew between them and cawed at him, just like the last two times.

What...was this? Everything was repeating itself and no matter how many times Madara released his chakra, this jutsu he deemed a genjutsu wouldn't end!

"Take my hand and realize that what you want and think are foolish."

Madara only stared at her. This would take time, but he'd be able to end this genjutsu. Until then, he'll fight his sister.

* * *

"Izumi..." Hashirama walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to face him. He was going to yell at her, tell her that what she did was dangerous, but when he saw her left eye fade from her Mangekyō to...nothing, he was at loss for words.

Her eye was now fully white.

Izumi blinked and looked back at her brother. "There's no need for killing today." She stood up and looked at the Senju.

"He may be weak, but he'll break out of the genjutsu again."

She shook her head. "Not this time. This one is unbreakable." Izumi looked at her kneeling brother and let out a soft sigh. "It will decide his destiny."

Hashirama narrowed his eyes and grabbed her chin, tilting her head to where he was looking at her eye. "What is the cost of this jutsu Izumi?" He could tell immediately that she was blind, her left eye wasn't focusing onto his unlike her right one.

"I lose my Sharingan and it's power." She pulled away from his hands. "I lose my eye in general. But it was worth it, if it meant not killing Madara. It will change him, make his face the consequences of his choices."

"What do you mean Izumi? Even if he gets out of this jutsu, he'll just revert back to what he believed in before."

"No, this jutsu makes you realize your mistakes. It makes you change your ways; that's the only way to break out of this jutsu. In literal sense, it decides your destiny." She knelt down to where Madara was at and tenderly placed her hand against his cheek. "He's a monster who'll do anything to get what he wants. Obviously, look at what he did today." She scowled. "I hate him for who he is now. I hate what he's done to the village and the people I love. I _hate _him." But when she turned her head to Hashirama, there were tears streaming down her face. "But I can't help but remember _my_ Madara, the one that comforted me when I wasn't feeling well or the one that gave me a piggyback ride when I was feeling down. I can't help but _love_ this idiot because deep down, that Madara is still there. The one that loves his family with a passion that could rival my own."

Hashirama rolled back his shoulder and winced. This man kneeling in front of him _bit_ him, taking a chunk of his flesh. "So this jutsu is unbreakable unless he comes to terms with his choices?" Izumi nodded her head. "But let's say he accepts it. I can't just welcome him back into Konoha with open arms, he'll have face a trial and most possibly, death. Even if his sentence isn't death, he'll be sent to Torture and Investigation then prison for what will probably be the rest of his life."

"Anything is better then death Hashirama." Izumi stood up and winced from the pain in her abdomen. They both looked at it and saw that the cut that was healed earlier had reopened, spilling even more blood over Izumi.

"What happened?"

She placed her hand over the wound. "I jumped between Tobirama and a katana. I almost died but...Mito saved me." She wanted to say more, but a sudden pain from her head caused her to hunch forward in pain. Hashirama took a step forward, but she held up a hand. "J-Just the usual...head pain." He narrowed his eyes but listened to her.

For now.

"I-Izumi?" The two shinobis whirled their head at the kneeling Uchiha.

"Madara?" Izumi stood up straight and kneeled slowly in front of him, but the only thing he did was blink away a tear.

"I acknowledge my mistakes." He looked up at her and looked into her eyes, not even caring about her sudden white eye. "I'm sorry. You don't have to accept my apology, but-"

Izumi only shook her head and threw her arms around her brother. "No, I accept them. I may still hate your ass but I love you too." He sat there, frozen and in shock. He didn't think that his little sister would actually accept _this _quickly. But he looked at Hashirama and saw the man staring at him with distrust. Gently pushing Izumi away, he ignored her look of confusion before kneeling in front of his former friend.

"I accept any decision that you make." He placed his head on the ground. "For what it's worth, I am sorry."

Hashirama was not expecting Izumi's jutsu to work. Now, he did expect it to work at some extend—after all, it cost her _eyesight_ to use it—but to fully change Madara like this? But if what Izumi said was true, there was no loophole out of the jutsu. Unless you came to terms with your mistakes you wouldn't be able to leave the genjutsu.

"I acknowledge your apology." Madara's head flew up and stared at him.

"Hashirama-"

He held his hand up to Izumi before holding it out to the Uchiha. "Let's start over." Pushing away his weariness and pain, he gave the man sitting in front of him the largest smile he could muster. "I'm Senju Hashirama. Nice to meet you." He held his hand out in front of him.

"Are you sure?" Madara asked. He may have accepted his mistakes but it doesn't mean that the two people around him had to forgive him this quickly. With what he's done, he would not be surprised if they actually hated him.

"Yes." Hashirama nudged his hand forward.

A memory of a similar scene flashed through the two older men. They were still children, skipping rocks on a river when they finally introduced themselves.

"_I'm Hashirama."_

"_Madara."_

"_Nice to meet you!"_

It put a smile to their faces, remembering this. So Madara realized that if he took Hashirama's hand, he'd be starting over again—starting anew. He looked back and saw Izumi nod her head in agreement. Turning back to the stronger Senju, he stood up.

"I'm Uchiha Madara." And he went to take the man's hand.

But fate was just not on their side today.

An arrow flew through the air and his Madara in his neck and another hit his side. Hashirama's head whirled toward the direction from where it came from, but there was no one.

"_No._" Izumi shot forward and grabbed her brother before he fell. "Madara-" He only shook his head before weakly placed a bloodied hand on her cheek. Blood spilled out of his mouth, but he tried his best to comfort his sister.

"I-Imouto." He tried saying. It came out mostly as a gurgle because of the amount of blood that was pooling in his mouth and neck. But Izumi nodded and seemed to understand what he said.

"Onī-san." Madara smiled before the life in his eyes faded away. Izumi let out a sob and laid him gently onto the ground before closing his eyes.

She really was the only one left now.

"Izumi." Hashirama gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I..."

She just shook her head. "Please, just..._don't_ apologize for something you obviously didn't do." She wiped away her tears, but they wouldn't stop. "Why? I was so close, _so close_, to having him back." She grabbed his hand and looked at him. "He was the only one left, the only one who remembered before. Every single person before him is _dead_. There's no one left."

"Don't say that." He forced her to stand up. "You have us. We're your new family. We don't know what the future will have in store for us." Izumi remained silent. "The past has its comforts, but what really matters is tomorrow."

"But-"

"No buts." He kept his anger and sadness at bay, not wanting to make Izumi's unstable emotions even more unstable.

"...Thank you Hashirama."

"Nothing to thank me for Izumi." She carefully wrapped her arms around his chest and started crying. And he let her, if he was the one that she wanted comfort from then he'd do exactly that. As her friend and as her future brother-in-law, he would help her. Returning her hug, he only tightened his arms when she cried even harder.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

* * *

Izumi kept in her tears as she watched Hashirama mourn over her dead brother. It had been a week now, and only they were the ones who said goodbye to Madara. No one else came, but she could understand why.

They didn't witness Madara's change, his apologizes and wishes for forgiveness.

She had said what she wanted to already, and was waiting for Hashirama to do the same. Madara's body was being kept in one of the rooms meant for the dead at the Uchiha Cemetery. She quietly left the room and walked over to where Mito was waiting in a wheelchair. The sealing of the Kyūbi had damaged her to the point where it hurt for her to walk right now. She said that there was nothing to worry about, it was just her chakra coils getting used to the foreign chakra.

"Izumi, did you say your goodbyes?" She nodded her head and sat in the seat next to Mito's wheelchair.

"Yes. I think...Hashirama needed to be alone." Mito placed her hand on Izumi's and squeezed it. "Thank you."

Her friend only smiled. "What are friends for?" Izumi nodded her head, agreeing. "But I need to tell you something."

She rose her eyebrow. "What?"

"I know this is probably the worst time, but its been eating me up since we got back." Mito took a deep breath and steeled herself. "The wound I healed for you went through one of your ovaries, damaging it to where it will be useless for the rest of your life." Izumi paled at what she said because she seemed to misunderstand what Mito was saying. "You still can have children, don't get me wrong! It'll just be a little harder. But that's...not it."

"What else could there be?"

"...You were pregnant, Izumi." Mito looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. "But the wound..."

"Oh Kami-"

A child.

She had a child.

And it was _dead_, _gone_.

Mito watched as Izumi's eyes rolled to the back of her head before collapsing onto the ground.

"Izumi!"

* * *

_**One year later...**_

_**November**_

* * *

Uchiha Izumi was at her worst in this exact moment. She was a coward, a wimp, a _fool_. She was taking the easy way out by doing this and she knew it.

But she didn't care, she just let the wind blow through her long hair and along her scalp, a feeling that would have calmed her before. Now, it just reminded her of times she didn't _want_ to remember. She looked down from where she was standing and was staring at the roaring river that ran below it.

Izumi hated life. She hated fate, hated _everything_. They took everything from her. What did she do to deserve such a life—one that was full of loss and abandonment with every turn she took? Months before, there would have been tears prickling at the sides of her eyes with the mention of fate's cruelty. Now, there were no tears left to fall. Every drop disappeared from her life the moment _that man_ did.

"I'm sorry." Izumi said out loud into the wind, hoping that Izuna would forgive her. "I broke our promise, but I can't..._stand_ living anymore." She took off her shoes. "Madara, Kazuyo, Father..." She said the names of her lost loved ones as she took off her armor and her shirt, leaving her only in her bindings. She took comfort in the cold bite of the upcoming winter air. Izumi balled her fists and felt her fingernails dig into the palms of her hands as she looked down at her flat stomach with her only available eye. "My unborn child… I'm so sorry." She took out a hairband and placed her hair into a ponytail.

Her only regret was not being strong enough to live for Kagami. She tried, she tried _so hard, _but she just could not do it anymore.

Izumi used to associate many words for herself, but none were as bad as they were today. Pathetic, weak, useless—all these words have haunted her for the past year. But with today, those ugly, nasty whispers from the back of her mind will disappear. Today, she'll be reunited with her family again. _Today_, all the deaths and pain that have haunted her will disappear, along with her.

There was nothing left for Izumi.

But there was something she needed to do before leaving this accursed world. Reached to the back of her neck, she unclasped the chain to her necklace and let it drop into her hand. Two silver rings were hanging from it, one was her size and another was too large for her fingers. She removed the chain and let it fall to the ground before taking the silver bands. Izumi placed the one that was her size onto her ring finger and let herself ponder over the _what if__s _as she looked at it.

_What if _she never used that jutsu?

_What if_ she never jumped in between Tobirama and that weapon?

_What if_ he never left her?

_What if_ she knew she was pregnant before that night?

_What if?_

Her world revolved around _what ifs_ and it infuriated her. She did not know what she did to deserve this kind of life, one that had too much pain and loss. But actually...maybe she did. Maybe this was Kami-sama's way of punishing her for the amount of pain she has caused for people by killing their loved ones. Seeing that her hands were starting to shake, Izumi took the larger ring and held onto it, gripping it to the point where she felt pain in her right palm.

She was ready.

Izumi took a step forward, and another until she stood at the absolute edge of the cliff. But before she could jump, a shout stopped her. A shout that belonged to a person that she _still_ loved, despite what he's done.

"Izumi, wait!" Her head whirled around and the temperature surrounding them dropped even lower. Izumi didn't say anything and continued standing where she was, only to let a slight shiver. "Don't do this, please." She felt anger flare up from inside of her. How _dare_ this man ask her this? "_Please_."

"You lost the right to ask something like this months ago Tobirama."

Pain was what Izumi could see on his face. But from what, she didn't know. Maybe it was her decision to end her life, or maybe it was his _own _decision that he made a few months back. "I know I don't have any right to say any of these things Izumi, but please, think about everyone you're leaving." He said, taking a step forward.

"Think? _Think?_" She growled out. "You think that's not what I've been doing for the past _year? _I asked myself _why_ every fucking day. I tried for Kagami and Akane, I tried for Mito and Hashirama, Itried my _fucking_ best to continue living as if there was no problem in the world. But I'm at my _goddamn _limit Tobirama. I can't go on like this, I just _can't_. There's nothing left for me here."

"That's not true. You have friends, family, _Clan_. What about them?"

Izumi gave him a dark laugh, one full of anger and anguish. "And which category do you happen to fall under, _Senju_?"

"None, and I know that."

Izumi turned around and looked up at the night sky. "My brother was right...there can be no happiness for someone who falls in love." She scoffed. "An Uchiha and Senju falling in love, that right there was a disaster waiting to happen." She turned her head to Tobirama. "Do you know what he said to me the second time I had to say goodbye to him? He said that you, Senju Tobirama, was an insensitive bastard. I knew what he really meant, he meant that you would leave me and forget about me. Was he right?" Tobirama remained silent. "_Was he?!_" Izumi screamed out.

"No."

She scowled. "Then why did you leave me? Wait, don't answer that. I am done with your fucking excuses." Izumi turned back around and looked at the full moon in the night sky. "I'm done...Tobirama." For the first time in _months_, she could feel that familiar feeling of pressure behind her eyes. The pressure of _tears_. Why couldn't he just _understand?_ She couldn't stand it anymore, the screaming and the crying. Her own Clan hated her, especially after they found out about her miscarriage with Tobirama's child. They called her a whore, a slut, a disgrace to the Uchiha name. She was _done_. She gave in to the darkness that members of her clan were so famous for. But instead of using it to fight and revolt, she used it to escape. She let it consume her thoughts, she let the freedom of death tempt her to where she was today.

"I can't do it." But she softened her voice. "Tell Kagami I'm sorry." Izumi was ready to see everyone again and hell be damned if she didn't greet them with a smile. Forcing one onto her face, she embraced the lone tear that had escaped from her useless eye.

Bracing herself and ignoring the pleas coming from Tobirama Izumi jumped, Never letting go of his ring.

* * *

**A/N:** _So the next chapter will probably come up in about a week or so. _

_Also, this is the longest chapter in any of my stories by far, so rejoice my fellow readers__—__but you probably can't because of all the angst shit that's happened today. Oh well! I hope the fight scene wasn't too bad._

**_SO THIS STORY IS NOT OVER I REPEAT THE STORY IS NOT OVER._**

_The next chapter is going to be about the build up of what has happened in Izumi's life for the past year that's made her resort to obviously, suicide.  
_

_Recommending the **Crank Series** by **Ellen Hopkins**. It's just so deep and really made me realize how certain drugs can ruin your life. SO DON'T DO THEM._

_So please follow/fav. if you haven't already! Don't forget to leave review because I totally want to know what you guys thought about this chapter._

_Until next time me dearest followers (and new ones too)!~_

* * *

**Onē-chan:** older sister

**Imouto:** younger sister

**Onī-san:** older brother

**Otouto: **younger brother

**Kami-sama:** God


	25. What If's

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS OR PLOTS. I ONLY OWN IZUMI AND ANY OTHER OC.

* * *

**It all goes away. Eventually, everything goes away.**

Elizabeth Gilbert, _Eat, Pray, Love_

* * *

**What If's**

_**A year and a half ago...**_

* * *

Izumi woke up to someone shaking her. "Izumi-nee, wake up."

She opened her left eye purely out of habit and it took her a second to remember that it was useless now, that she couldn't see from it. "What's wrong Kagami?" She asked, sitting up on the bed as she closed her eye and opened her other one. She ignored her pounding heart, the sense of unease that came with having a nightmare. In all actuality, she was happy that the five year old boy woke her up.

Her nephew was standing next to the bed, holding onto a stuffed animal that Tobirama had gotten him for his birthday. "I had a nightmare." He answered, tightening his grip on toy dog.

She just nodded her head understandingly. She would do the same before when she was his age. She would crawl into Izuna or Arata's futon and feel immediately safer. "Here, you can sleep next to me then tonight." Izumi kept her left eye closed and watched as Kagami crawled into bed next to her.

"Izumi-nee, where's Tobi-nii?" He asked as he got comfortable next to her.

"He's...busy right now." As much as she wanted to answer his question, she couldn't because she herself didn't know what had happened, why Tobirama was avoiding them. "But it's fine. Go to sleep, okay? I'll be here." He nodded his head and burrowed his head into her shoulder. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep and Kagami's soft snores slight calmed Izumi down.

The past two weeks were almost like hell for her. Finding out two weeks back that she had a miscarriage and mixing that with her brother's death and Tobirama avoiding her, all of these things were starting to overwhelm her. Plus she needed to retrain her body because she was at a disadvantage with being blind in her left eye.

She had so much to do, yet had so little time.

Sighing, Izumi closed her eyes and tried to get as much sleep as she could.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

* * *

"Hashirama, how is...Tobirama?" Izumi asked. Hashirama turned his head around to her and was shocked. He believed that he had seen Izumi at her worst when Kazuyo died, but he was wrong. Looking at her now, he realized that what he saw before was nothing compared to now. Izumi was always on the thinner side, but she was practically skin and bones now. Her left eye was hidden by her hair, but it didn't hide the abnormal paleness of her skin.

"He's been fine. But what about you? Have you been eating Izumi?"

"Of course. I still have to cook for Kagami. But...why is he avoiding me?" Izumi looked at him and Hashirama couldn't help but feel saddened at her question.

"I wish I could tell you, but I don't know. He won't tell me."

"Oh...alright then. I'll take my leave." She bowed and left, not wanting to really talk to Hashirama anymore. It didn't matter because Hashirama was also at loss of what else to say to her.

She was so tired, she's never been this tired before. It took almost all her willpower to leave her bed lately. Of course, she still did what she was supposed to do as a Clan Head. It just took a little more work than before.

After a few minutes, she finally reached her house that she shared with Kagami when she felt a chakra she hasn't felt in almost a month. Tobirama. She rushed into the house but he had disappeared the moment he had sensed Izumi. "Fucking hell." Izumi cussed. Sighing, she took of her shoes and walked passed the dining room when something caught her eye, causing her to pause at the entrance to the room. Walking forward to the table, her eyes widened and a gasp came out of her mouth against her will. It was a ring. _His_ ring. With a trembling hand, she slowly picked it up along with the slip of paper underneath to read it.

_I'm sorry._

Izumi fell to her knees, his ring clattering against the wooden floor. She couldn't believe it, after all the promises that he made he actually _broke it_, along with her heart. She couldn't take it anymore, all this pain and suffering. She can't keep up with it, how could she? Losing her last brother, her _onī-san_, she couldn't do it anymore.

One tear fell and another, until they wouldn't stop. Izumi cried and cried to her hearts content, until something in her snapped.

She was done.

The tears that were streaming down her face stopped and she grabbed his ring. Pocketing it, she stood up and went straight to her room. Grabbing a bag that Izumi knew was hers, she starting folding and placing all of her belongs into it. When that was finished, she went to Kagami's room and started putting all of his items into a scroll since there were too many to carry.

It took a while, but after about an hour Izumi was finished and left the house, vowing to never look back. She shunshined to the Hokage tower and stormed up to Hashirama's office, a key in her hand. Throwing open the door, a startled Hashirama sat at his desk.

"Izumi?"

She walked up to his desk and slammed the key onto it. "You can tell your brother that he can have his damn house back. I've gotten rid of all my items, along with Kagami's." He quickly looked at the key and her hand, and that was when realization hit.

"Did Tobi-"

"I don't want to hear his name. Just tell him, that just like he wants, we're over. His house is his again and he sure as hell doesn't have to deal with us anymore. I'll be moving back into the Uchiha Compound if you need anything." Whirling around, she left the room without another word.

* * *

_**Three months later...**_

_October_

* * *

Stabbing the man, Izumi felt a sadistic type of pleasure as she saw fear in the man's eyes before he died, leading her to rip her katana out. Before, she'd never feel something like this when killing, but war changes people. It changes the way you view death, the way you kill. She thought she already experienced war when she was younger, when she fought the Senju. But she was wrong, a war like this is worse.

Shaking her head to rid of the slight pain that came along using her Mangekyō, she flicked the blood off of her blade and could not help but feel a type of pity for the Kumo-nins that they encountered.

"Izumi-sama, is this the last of the group?"

She turned around and looked at the man walking up to her. He was actually one of the few Uchiha Shinobi that still respected Izumi despite all the rumors and insults he had heard about her. "Yes." Sheathing her katana, she motioned for him to follow. "This group were just scouts, I can tell. I have a feeling that more will be coming. Get the medics and tell them to heal the badly wounded first, others with minor injuries will have to wait." She ordered.

"Hai." He bowed and left, leaving Izumi alone. She didn't mind being alone, in fact she loved it. People of her own village were too afraid to talk to her now, especially after the beginning of the week. She remembered how that young man made killing seem as if it was fun, as if he _enjoyed _the feeling of taking a life.

* * *

_She couldn't believe it. Hashirama ordered her to command a group of shinobi to prevent Kumogakure from further invading into the Land of Fire. It wasn't as if she had enough to deal with already. She didn't know who or how but someone had found out about her miscarriage and Izumi was practically being shunned by her own clan now. The only people who even bothered talking to her from her clan were Noizumi and the rest in the Council._

_After a long day of battling against foreign nins, all she wanted was to wash off the blood from her body and sleep, and to not ever wake up—not that she would do that, but one could only hope. Wincing from the sudden pain in her head, she held up hand up against her left eye and pressed down to ease whatever pressure she could before standing up to head to her tent. Walking past the shinobi she commanded, she could hear the snickers and see the sneers her so-called 'comrades' gave her. And it was all because of him. They all knew that he left her—for what reason, they didn't and wouldn't know—but the damage had been done. No one respected her, no one listened to her._

_So Izumi ignored them and continued on her way when a conversation caused her to stop. Slowly turning around, the group of shinobi talking to themselves were laughing about something the man standing had said. He had said that he almost laughed at seeing the dying face of a Kumo-nin, that he had just smiled and wished him luck in hell. Not many things could anger Izumi, but one was disrespect while another was this, mocking the dead. She may have taken many lives, but she respected each and every one of them._

_She pushed away the shinobi surrounding the man, and stormed up to the man. Grabbing the front of his shirt, she pulled him down to her height and glared at him with her Mangekyō activated in one eye and the white of her other._

"_Don't you dare laugh at taking a life. There is nothing _fun _about doing it." Izumi knew that majority of the camp was watching them now, but she didn't care. Make this a lesson for everyone. "People like you disgust me. You have no remorse for the life you just took. You think that just because you killed an enemy you have every right to mock their death."_

"_But they're the enemy, there's a difference-"_

"_Do you not realize that they're fighting for their own village? For their own comrades and loved ones? The only thing that makes us different than them is the village and people we fight for. Other than that?" She emphasized each word she said. "There is no fucking difference." The man furiously nodded his head. "If I hear any of you mocking the dead, you'll soon join them." Izumi released the man and walked off, still ignoring the looks she got from her fellow 'comrades'._

* * *

Izumi was known throughout the battlefield as the one-eyed killer and she feared from the enemy. She knew why, she _realized_ why. She killed without hesitation. But by doing that, she killed something inside of her. She had too, there was no other way. In order to do something like this she needed to make herself...immune to killing. She had to cut all emotion tied to it.

Taking a deep breath, she held her hand against her eye and tried to ignore the pounding headache she was getting. They were getting worse lately, she realized this. Especially after Connie's death, the pain came in mere _minutes_ if she used too much of her chakra. It was almost as if...Connie had protected her from the headaches before.

"..._Fuck._" This was a bad one, probably one of Izumi's worst headaches. But she would get through them, just like the others. She just needed to wait another month until she would be able to go home and get the well needed rest she needed.

Just one month..._one month_.

* * *

_**Six months later…**_

_April_

* * *

Izumi walked up to Mito and Hashirama's house and knocked on the door. It opened a second later and she smiled, something she realized she hasn't been doing much lately.

"Mito."

"Izumi! Come in, Kagami's in the living room." Nodding her head, she took off her shoes and followed after the energetic redhead.

"Izumi-nee!" Kagami ran towards Izumi and threw his arms her. "You're back!"

"I'm back for good this time." She wrapped her own arms around him. "Now, clean up so I can take you home." He nodded his head and ran off, probably towards the guest room that Hashirama and Mito always let Kagami stay in.

"How do you you'll stay for good this time?" Mito asked after they settled down onto the couch.

Looking at her, Izumi couldn't help but noticed something...different about her. It was almost as if there was this glow surrounding her. "Hashirama said that the Uchiha Clan Head needed to stay in Konoha." She shrugged. "I didn't question him. I needed to come home."

"That's good."

"Yeah, I guess." They stayed silent, only the sounds Kagami was making resonating throughout the room. But Izumi broke it by narrowing her eyes at Mito. "Did something happen? You seem...happier."

"W-What? No-"

"Don't lie." Izumi leaned back against the couch. "What happened while I was gone?"

Mito started fiddling with her long hair. She now looked uneasy, as if she was conflicted. "I don't know...I don't think I should tell you."

"That's some bull. You can tell me anything, remember?"

"But… It feels wrong." Izumi waved her hand nonchalantly. "Are you sure?"

"_Yes_."

Mito looked at her. "I went to the hospital earlier today and...I found out I'm expecting."

Izumi didn't react for a few seconds, in fact she froze, not expecting that. "That's...wonderful Mito."

"I knew it, I shouldn't have said anything-"

"No, really. That is wonderful." She truly was happy for her friend, but she couldn't help but feel a type of sadness that Izumi knew the reason off.

"Izumi-nee, I'm ready!" Startled out of her thoughts, she stood up and picked Kagami up.

"Congratulations Mito." She forced a smile onto her face and it seemed to fool Mito because she too started smiling.

"...Thank you Izumi."

"Well, we'll be taking our leave. What do you say Kagami?" She looked at her nephew.

Kagami put on a smile full of innocence only a child seemed to possess. "Thank you for having me Mito-neesan!"

The Senju Matriarch just laughed. "You two are welcomed anytime, okay?"

They all said their goodbyes and as Izumi walked through the Senju Compound, she couldn't help but hear the conversations of the people around her. It was an anomaly for a Uchiha to be walking around in the Senju Compound but that's not what managed to catch her attention. It was the laughing.

"I knew it, I knew that Tobirama-sama would leave her."

"Of course he would, why would he stay with the likes of her?"

"She's pathetic, I heard she even lost his child."

"She's practically useless then! Who would even want to marry her now? She's..._used_."

Hearing that, Izumi couldn't help but hold Kagami even tighter.

"It's okay Izumi-nee." She looked at him and saw a smile on his face. "I'll marry you!"

"...Oh Kagami." She felt a wave of emotions rush through her. "Thank you, but you need to find someone better than I am."

"But you're awesome!"

Izumi laughed, her real one in months. "What about that one girl you told me about before? The one in your class?" He turned red and turned his head away from her, now too embarrassed to even look at her. "See?"

"F-Fine! But you're still awesome!"

"Oh you silly child."

* * *

_**Later that night…**_

* * *

Izumi was staring at herself in the mirror. Surprisingly, her hair was pulled up in a ponytail and her white eye was staring uselessly at nothing.

Mito was with a child. She'd be able to see as her stomach grew larger and larger as the months passed. She'd be able to be a mother to a child that would grow each and every day. Izumi, on the other hand, would never get to experience something like that. And even if she did in the future, with who? No one would love her and she knew that she couldn't love another anymore, not when she gave her heart to that man.

Were those Senju women right? Was she really useless?

There was a large, white line on Izumi's abdomen that the light from the moon shone on. She traced it with her finger and felt a dull pulse of pain come from it. It was purely mental, but did it really matter? A child… If she hadn't jumped in front of that blade to save him, she would have given birth by now and the child would be a month old. That would have meant she was a mother to a child, something that she was never able to experienced.

A sob tore itself from her mouth. She was _just _23 years old, and she already feels twice and old. She was so tired, she's seen too much death for her age. 23 and used, 23 and pathetic.

She really was useless, just like those women said earlier. She was ugly, who would even want to look at her anymore? She was blind in one eye and slowly losing her eyesight in the other. Pathetic, weak, useless—those words all rang true. She couldn't look at herself anymore, she _couldn't_. Letting out a cry of frustration she punched the mirror and shattered it. Leaning her head against the wood behind the mirror, she sobbed. No tears fell, but she still mourned for everything. "Izuna… I don't know what to do anymore." Izumi felt something flow down her arm. It must have been blood, a cut that she made because of the shattered glass. "I don't think I can continue..." But no, there was still Kagami. She still needed to keep going for him. "...I miss you so much Izuna. Things would be so much easier if you were here." Izumi whispered. But she promised him that she'd continue living, for his son. For Kagami, she'd do anything.

_Anything._

* * *

_**Four months later…**_

_August_

* * *

"Noizumi, come over here for a second."

The younger man walked over to her desk. "Izumi-sama?"

Turning around, Izumi looked at him with her only eye. "If...something were to happen to me, I'm making you in charge of the clan until Kagami turns of age."

He stood there, frozen, until he realized what she had just said. "W-Wait, what are you talking about?"

"We're in a middle of war. Who knows how long any of us have." She sighed and placed her hand on her forehead. "It's not just that. I know that many people wish for me to leave my place as Clan Head. I know that majority of the Clan hates me. In fact, we all know that."

"Still-"

She chuckled, but it wasn't from amusement. It was a dark one, one that sounded as if she was...finished. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon, but if something were to happen."

"...Are you sure Izumi-sama?" Noizumi looked at her worryingly.

"Of course I am. I'm writing it down as we speak." But he didn't seem...as happy as she thought he would be. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted something like this."

"It's just that..."

"You'll be fine. You've worked under Madara before his defection and you now work under me. You'd be a fine Clan Head if something were to happen to me."

He nodded his head. "If you say so. But may I ask another question?"

"Sure." Izumi leaned back on her chair and looked at him. He had gotten taller lately, she noticed. He was now 18, so different compared to before.

"Is everything okay Izumi-sama?"

"Of course everything is." Izumi sighed and stood up. "Now, back to work. I'll be leaving early today, if you don't mind."

"Not at all." Bowing, Noizumi left the room. The moment he closed the door, she dropped her facade and sat back down on her chair. In front of anyone, she made sure it seemed as if nothing was wrong. She made sure that everything she did was something that the old Izumi would have done. But lately...it was getting harder and harder for her to do even that. She was so tired lately, the only reason she even got out of bed these days were for her nephew. Other than that, she didn't care. The village could be burning for all she knew and she'd be laying in her bed, waiting for the flames to take her.

Izumi knew why she was acting like this, it was purely because of _everything_. The rumors, the insults, the names that were being thrown at her. They were getting to her. She thought that she was able to ignore them, to continue living as if there was nothing wrong, but she was a _fool_. There was no way she could continue living as if there was nothing wrong. She had lost a child and a lover in a span of _weeks_, there was absolutely no possible way she could ever rebound back to her old 'happy' self. She rarely ate anymore, she only cooked enough food for Kagami and that was about it. But even the six year old boy could sense something, he would always give her a hug and tell her how 'awesome' his Izumi-nee was whenever she did something little for him.

If she folded his clothes and put them away? "You're awesome Izumi-nee!"

When she made him his obento for lunch? "It was so good, you're so cool Izumi-nee!"

Whenever she tucked him into sleep? "I love you Izumi-nee!"

The little things like this helped her, whether he knew it or not. It helped her wake up and the hugs Kagami gave before he left for school kept her going throughout day. But...it was getting harder and harder lately. For some reason, she keeps thinking about _before_, when everything was good. When she still had siblings, when she still had friends,

When she still had a lover.

Izumi hasn't seen _him_ in almost a year. It surprised her really, how fast time can fly by. She tells herself that she doesn't love him anymore, that her heart left alongside him when he did, but it's hard to say that when she finds herself reaching for their rings that now hang around her neck. It hard to say that she doesn't love him anymore when she wakes up and longs to hear his voice. It hard when she wants to remember what it felt to be safe, to be at home in his arms. But it did not matter anymore. There was always that _one_ simple fact that stopped Izumi from going out of her way to find him and talk to him.

It was the fact that he broke his promise and left.

After practically _dying_ for him, you'd think that he'd be more grateful...was what she thought at first, when she was still the old Izumi. But now, she didn't think that anymore. Now she didn't think anything of it anymore.

Sighing, Izumi gathered her things and left. There was no point in thinking about him anymore. He left her and that was it, there was no more.

* * *

_**Two months later…**_

_October_

* * *

She woke up screaming with her head pounding. Shooting up straight in her bed, she tried to calm down, but her dream-

"I-Izumi-nee?" Whirling her head to the door, she saw Kagami standing there. "I um...heard screaming."

Breathing hard, Izumi realized she must have woken him up. She ran her hand through her hair and looked at him. "I'm sorry Kagami, you can go back to bed. I just had a bad dream."

"A-Are you sure?"

She nodded her head. "Yes, now go. You have school in the morning." He took one last look before walking away, letting her lean against the wall behind her.

The dreams were getting worse lately, this was the third time this week that she woke Kagami up because of them. Her heart still pounding, she tried to forget the flashes of her dream but they wouldn't go away. She saw Madara dying in her arms, she saw _him_ leaving her, she saw herself killing faceless beings.

What was wrong with her? She never asked for any of this, she just wanted to live her life in peace now. She hasn't taken a life in months, she _didn't_ want to take one either. She didn't want to fight, she didn't want to do anything bad. Yet, she dreamed of the amount of death she's brought to the world. Why wouldn't the dreams stop? _When_ would the dreams stop?

Taking deep breaths, she left her bed and walked to Kagami's room to make sure he had fallen back asleep. She carefully opened his door and thankfully, he had fallen back asleep.

Kagami...before, he was enough to keep her going, to keep her from leaving. But now, Izumi knew that it wasn't enough anymore. The freedom of death taunts her, to be able to leave this world behind and to see her family again. But she told herself that Kagami needed her, just until he was old enough. That his love towards her was enough to keep her going.

But those were all _lies_, it wasn't enough. She could feel herself slipping away little by little everyday, she could feel herself wanting to just leave this life behind. She longed to hear her father's voice, or to see all of her brothers again. She longed to talk to her best friend again and tell her about everything that she kept secret. Izumi knew she'd be happier there instead of where she was now. She woke up and everything was black and white, the only color in her life were Akane and Kagami. That was it and even then, it was still dull. She hadn't seen Mito or Hashirama in months, she always had her paperwork sent to Hashirama through Noizumi so she didn't _have_ to see him. She didn't want too, it hurt to much just because of _him_. Izumi was just so tired now. She wanted to sleep and never wake up. Because for her?

There was basically no reason to be alive.

Izumi closed Kagami's bedroom door and walked back to her own room to sleep.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

* * *

She needed some air, to have some time to herself. Climbing up to the top of the Hokage Monument was tiring, but she managed to do it. But what she didn't realize that someone was already there, a person that she hasn't seen in a year. Izumi didn't sense him but he should have, so why was he here? It didn't matter, she was quiet when she came here so-

"Izumi?" She froze and saw him turn around. He looked the same as he did before, just a little thinner. Go him, for being able to continue living. Go him for being able to move on.

"Hello." She greeted in monotone. She needed to put on her mask, to fool him in thinking that she hasn't thought about him in months when in reality she's been thinking about him almost everyday. He took a step forward, but she took a step back. Izumi needed too, if he got any nearer to her the facade she was pulling would fall apart and break. She couldn't let him see her like that.

"How...have you been?"

"I have been fine. I am sorry for interrupting you, so I will be leaving." Turning around, she started walking back down but was stopped by a hand on her arm, a hand that belonged to him.

"Izumi, wait-"

She ripped her arm out of his hands and didn't turn around. "I do not want to talk to you right now. Goodbye." And she left, not turning around to look at him because if she did, she knew that she wouldn't be able to leave.

* * *

_November_

* * *

"Kagami, come here." She bend down to his height and watched as he walked over to where she was.

"What's wrong Izumi-nee? I have all my stuff for Mito-neesan's house ready."

She forced a smile. "It's not about that." Izumi started fixing his hair and clothes. "I won't be coming back for a long time, okay?" He furrowed his forehead. "Be a good boy for Mito, okay?"

"Where are you going?"

"It's a secret." She placed both of her hands on his cheeks. She was so sorry, she knew that when he was older he'd understand why. She _hoped_ that he would understand her reasons, that he wouldn't hate her the choices she made and that he'd forgive her. But she knew that someone like her didn't deserve something as nice as that. Forgiveness was something earned, not wished. "But I'll see you again, okay?"

"No!" Kagami suddenly threw his arms into her and squeezed. "I don't want you to go!"

"Kagami-"

"Why are you leaving again? I don't want you too!"

Izumi gently removed his arms. "Because I have too. Don't worry, Mito and Hashirama will take good care of you. And you have Akane-chan and Noizumi, right?"

"But..."

She placed her forehead on his. "Don't worry, okay? Even when I'm gone I'll be with you. I love you, that's why." She stood up and waited for Kagami to hold onto his hand. "Now let's go."

They walked for a while and even with Kagami, she could hear the insults that her fellow clan members gave her. She could see the sneers and frowns that were directed towards her. But it didn't matter anymore, with today she wouldn't have to see or hear any of them anymore. It all ended _today_.

It took longer than usual but when they finally reached Mito's house, she took out the letter she wrote and put it in Kagami's bag.

"What's that?" He asked, trying to turn around to see what she was doing.

"It's a letter for Mito. Tell her to read it tomorrow, okay?" He slightly hesitated but nodded his head.

"Okay." Smiling, she gave him one last kiss on his forehead before knocking on Mito's door. "Izumi-nee?" She looked down at him. "I love you too."

Her face fell for a second before she smiled. "Me too Kagami."

The door opened and Mito stood there, confusion written all over her face. "Izumi? What are you doing here?"

Izumi pushed Kagami forward. "I know this is sudden but I need you to watch Kagami for now. If...something were to happen just contact Noizumi and he'll take care of him."

"Oh...alright then." She purposely kept her eye on Mito's face because she knew that her stomach would be big with an unborn child.

"I'm sorry." Bowing, she looked at Kagami one last time.

"It's no problem. Come, Kagami." Mito moved a little to the side to let him walk into the house.

"Bye."

* * *

_**Two hours later…**_

_Eight P.M._

* * *

"Mito, why exactly is Kagami here?"

Mito turned around and looked at him confusingly. "What do you mean? Didn't you give Izumi a mission?"

"What are you talking about? No I didn't." Hashirama realized something sounded off. He walked over to Kagami and bend down to look at the boy. "Kagami, did Izumi happen to tell you where she went?"

"N-No. She just said she'd be gone for a long time. That's it."

"Anything else?" He shook his head. "Tell me exactly what she said, the whole conversation."

"Wel...Izumi-nee said that she wouldn't be coming for a long long time. Then she said she'd always be with me and that she loves me." He pursed his lips as he thought of anything else. "But she gave me a letter and said to give it to you tomorrow." Warning bells starting ringing in Hashirama's head. Why would she do that? Why would she write a letter and tell them to read it the next day?

"What's wrong Hashirama?" Mito walked over to them.

"Kagami, give me the letter."

"But Izumi-nee said tomorrow."

Hashirama frowned but continued. "I understand but she might be in trouble." The boy took a few seconds to think but in the end, he grabbed his bag and took out a letter that had Mito and Hashirama's name on it.

"This is the letter. But I kinda promised Izumi-nee earlier that I wouldn't give it to Mito-neesan until tomorrow."

"It's okay if you break this promise Kagami, okay?" Hashirama took the letter and opened it, Mito next to him.

"Hashirama, what if..." He knew the silent question she was asking, and it scared him because he didn't know the answer to it.

"I don't know Mito." They unfolded the paper together and started to read it.

* * *

_Dear Mito and Hashirama,_

_If you two are reading this, that means that a day has already passed since you last saw me. I'm sorry, but I won't be coming back. I know that...raising Kagami will be hard when you have a child with you, so please inform Noizumi about Kagami since he is to become the Clan Head until Kagami is of age._

_You must be asking why. Well, here's the answer. I can't stand it anymore, the screaming that I hear in my head everyday. I see the dead every time I blink and hope that when I sleep, I will be left alone but I'm not, they torment me in my dreams too. I know what my clan members say about me, I hear what everyone says about me and I'm tired of it. I tried my best to continue on, especially for Kagami but I just can't do it anymore. Please do not hate me and I hope that one day, you will forgive me for the choice I made. And please, do not hate yourselves for this. It was an inevitable situation that was bound to happen sooner or later. But I do understand if you do not forgive me. There are many reasons to why I chose this path but in the end, it was because of losing both my child and...him that I can't stand to live anymore. You may hate me for leaving behind my nephew, but even that ball of sunshine can't save me anymore. Nothing can._

_I'm sorry._

_Izumi_

* * *

When they both finished reading it, Mito let out a scream and Hashirama let out a curse, both of which scared Kagami.

"W-What did it say?"

"Nothing Kagami, go to your bedroom please." Kagami opened his mouth to say something, but even the six year old boy could tell that something was wrong. Listening to Hashirama, he ran down the hall and to the room that they always let him borrow.

Hashirama let out a ragged sigh as he reread the entire letter. It was his fault, why didn't he realize that she was hurting? It was obvious! The documents that she would have brought to him herself stopped and in her place was Uchiha Noizumi. She made him deliver all the important documents because she didn't want to see him. It was clearly obvious but why didn't he see it? Why?

But he did know why, thinking back now he realized that he didn't know what to say to her after Tobirama left her.

Then suddenly, Hashirama could sense his younger brother's chakra approaching the house in a speed that had made him famous. "Hashirama, what's wrong? I heard Mito screaming."

"It's Izumi." He held the letter to him. "She's going to kill herself." Handing the letter to Tobirama, he turned to his wife and started consoling her. Mito was blaming herself, when it wasn't her fault. They stayed like that for a few seconds until Tobirama finished reading the letter.

"A...child? She was with a child?" He asked in a disbeliving voice.

Mito looked at him, her eyes red from crying. "She never told you?" He shook his head. "When she protected you that day, the katana stabbed through her abdomen and it killed the child. She didn't know about it until I told her later."

There were sounds of crumpling and when Hashirama looked, he was shocked to see tears falling from Tobirama's eyes.

"It's all because of me that she's doing this." He felt Mito push his hands away and watched as his wife walked up to his brother.

"You know what, it is." An not even a second later, the crack of skin contacting skin echoed throughout the room and on Tobirama's face was a red hand mark. "What _man_ leaves his lover during a time of need? And I had to hear from Hashirama that you just left her without even a reason."

"There was a reason." He said immedietly. "It's a pathetic reason, but one nonetheless." He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. "I still remember that hopeless feeling, the sound that blade made as it stabbed her. I see it every night when I sleep. I can barely look at myself in the mirror, knowing that I had almost killed her. How can someone like that be anywhere near that person? I love her and I tried to explain it to her when I accidentally saw her at the monument. But it didn't matter, she didn't even want to look at me. That's why I left, because I knew I had no right to be anywhere near her. Even when I _wanted_ too, my conscience would not let me." There was so much pain in his voice, a pain Hashirama knew that still haunted his younger brother.

"Well, she needs you now." Hashirama looked at his brother. "Go, find her and tell her. She may not forgive you, but it may be the one thing that'll keep her alive."

Tobirama nodded his head and used his Hiraishin.

He needed to find her and tell her, he _needed _too. He just hoped that he wasn't too late.

* * *

"_Izumi no!_"

"Let me go!" She screamed out. She was dangling off the edge, the only thing keeping her from falling to her death was a hand that held onto her arm. "Please!"

"No!"

"Tobirama, please." She cried out. She wanted an end, this was her closure. She didn't want to continue living anymore. "I don't want to go back!"

"You have people that still love you. They're waiting back at home."

"I have no home, don't you understand? You _destroyed_ whatever semblance to home I had! _You _were my home!"

He opened his eyes and she saw tears in them. "I'm sorry. I never knew that I caused you so much pain and you don't have to forgive me, but please don't do this. I still love you."

"D-Don't."

"I love you Izumi, so please continue living."

"_Please_."

"Remember?" Izumi looked at him and for the first time in months, their eyes met. "I'll be there every step of the way."

"S-Stop!" At this point, she was sobbing. She still held onto his ring. Why was he here, why did he come? "It hurts too much to continue Tobirama."

"I know it hurts, but there are people still there for you. You're not alone." Tobirama could feel his hand starting to slip on her arm. He needed to lift her up now if he wanted to save her. Grabbing onto it with his other arm, he began to lift her up. With one last burst of strength, he pulled her up and fell back onto the ground with Izumi in his arms. There were both breathing heavily, and she was crying.

But nothing else mattered at the moment. Izumi was safe in his arms now, everything else could wait.

* * *

**A/N: **_SO she didn't die. As much as my darker side of my mind said to kill her, the nicer side won and was like don't kill her. So, I hope this chapter was angst because I sure as hell don't really know for sure if it is or not since I wrote it. My friend says that I underestimate myself when it comes to writing and I totally do, especially when its angst. _

_So...was it angst?_

_But I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I sure as hell enjoyed writing it. I put on some Assassin's Creed and Thief game music and just zone into this story. I can get so focused that two to three hours end up passing by when I look at the time xD But I will say the the ending to this chapter sucks ass and for that I totally apologize._

_In the story, you guys read that they were at 'war'. Now, the First Shinobi War hasn't started yet, but like every single world war there were two countries that starting fighting first, and this is what you see in the story. I made it as Kumogakure for now, but who knows what the newer chapters are going to be like. But I will say this, the ending to this story is basically the start of In Time. Like I have an epilogue planned out and that's the Fourth Shinobi War and Izumi will be in it. How, I'm not telling besides the obvious Edo Tensei but other then that? Read the upcoming chapters._

_So for today's recommendation, it is the _**_Pulse Series _**_by _**_Patrick Carman_**_. It's a sort of post apocalyptic story that kinda has a supernatural twist to it. The main character finds out she has a telekinetic power that she falls in love and blah blah blah. If you want to know more about it then totally read it because it's wonderful and great. I love it, so you may too._

_That's about it this time so don't forget to leave a review and a follow/fav. if you haven't already!_

_Until next time!~ _


	26. Forgiveness

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS AND PLOTS. I ONLY OWN IZUMI AND ANY OTHER OC.

* * *

**When you keep hurting someone, you do one of two things. Either you fill them up with hate and they destroy everything around them, or you fill them up with sadness and they destroy themselves.**

Nick Lane, _In Darkness_

* * *

**Forgiveness**

Izumi pulled herself away from Tobirama's arms and turned her back to him, avoiding his face.

"Izumi, I know you're mad and I'm sorry-"

She shook her head. "No. I'm...fine." Standing up, she loosened her fist and turned her head down to look at the silver ring in her hand.

This ring...it symbolized so many things in life. It symbolized love, marriage, bond. All these things, she wished she could have experience. And in a way...she has. She felt the love and the bond of another. And marriage? She felt that when she lived with Tobirama a year ago. But still...she didn't want to stay. She made her choice earlier and nothing would change it.

"Tobirama?" Izumi turned around and looked at him.

"What?"

She walked to him and grabbed his hand, placing both of their rings onto it. "Thank you." Throwing her arms around him, she hugged him as hard as she could. He returned her hug and they stayed like that for a few minutes until Izumi pulled away.

"What was that for?"

She just shook her head and placed her hand on his cheek. Smiling, she stood on her toes and gave him a kiss on his lips. It was a quick and light one, but Tobirama could feel something off about it. When he stared into her eye, it looked back at his with a certain lifelessness that scared him. She never removed her hand and kept it on his cheek.

"You came and tried to save me."

Tried?

"But in the end, I'm sorry."

She's...sorry?

"I do love you Tobirama, but the pain is too much now. I just...can't. So live, live for me."

In a speed that managed to catch him by surprise, Izumi placed her hands and gripped both sides of Tobirama's face to look at him straight in the eyes with her Mangekyō. They swirled and swirled, pulling him into a genjutsu. The last thing he saw before he fell unconscious was a single tear that rolled down Izumi's cheek.

His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he started falling backwards, but Izumi caught him and gently placed him on the ground.

"Thank you though...Tobirama." Izumi kneeled down and kissed him on his forehead. It was a kiss of goodbye, a kiss of finality. "You _have_ given me happiness, but it was too late." She stood up and walked back to the edge of the cliff. Looking up at the night sky, she saw beauty in the stars and the full moon. So bright...so beautiful.

* * *

_She is 15, while he is 19. __She looks at her oldest brother and she can tell that they are both tired. They both have seen so much death __in their time on this earth. __"Do you think peace could ever be achieved Madara?" She sees surprise light up in his eyes __at her question__._

"_I honestly don't know Izumi." He answers. "It's a good dream though, having peace." He looks up and stares at the full moon and the stars that light up the night sky. "Peace..." _

_And she finishes his sentence, __because she knows what he __thinks__. "I guess life is not that easy."_

* * *

So many years have passed since that night and now look at them. He was dead and Konoha was at war with another village. There was no peace; no matter how close she was to it, she would never be able to obtain it. In fact, she didn't even know if there would ever be such a thing like it.

"Thank you..." Smiling sadly at the sky, Izumi took one last look at the man behind her.

Tobirama was the love of her life and she knew that she'd love him forever, whether death parted them or not because in the end, she knew she'd see him again when Death came for him. She just hoped that when that day came, he would have understood her choice to end her life, and perhaps even forgive her for it.

Smiling, Izumi took a step forward and fell. The last thing she saw was an image of the two loves of her life, Tobirama and Kagami laughing together. And as she fell, the smile she had on her face never disappeared.

* * *

_**Tobirama**_

* * *

His eyes shot open as he finally woke up from the sleeping genjutsu Izumi had cast on him. Sitting up, his hand released the rings that Izumi had given them. "Izumi!" He called out. Tobirama tried to sense for her chakra, but he couldn't find it. Not even a trace of it, showing she used it to run away. His eyes flew to the rings in his hands as he remembered what she had said to him before he had fell unconscious.

She said she had loved him, but that she was sorry. There was no way...right? She wouldn't have…

He quickly looked at the edge, and no matter how hard he believed she wouldn't, Tobirama knew that she had taken her own life. There was an emptiness in him that he knew meant she was...gone. He was too late, _too late_. He thought that by coming here, he'd be able to save her. He thought that he'd be enough to tip the scale. But he wasn't. That choice he made a year ago was the worst one he ever made and would forever regret it. He did it to protect her, because he thought she'd never want to see him again because of what he did. Never in a million years did he think the outcome of that would be today, to have her gone.

He never wanted this, he never meant for it to end like this.

But when Tobirama looked away he saw on the ground her sweater, the one that she had taken off earlier. He stood up and walked over to it to pick it up, and when he did he saw something wet fall onto it. Another fell and the next thing Tobirama knew, he was screaming and crying into the sweater. It still smelled of her, which made it worse.

He cursed his life and with it, the world.

* * *

When Tobirama reached Konoha, he was sure that everyone somehow knew he had failed to bring Izumi back. And when he slowly opened the door to his older brother's house, the first thing that awaited him was Mito. She stood by the door, her stomach swollen with a child that was due any day.

"I was...too late." But she knew, she couldn't feel her friend's chakra. One tear fell from his eyes and another, until they couldn't stop. He was crying at their doorstep and could do nothing about it, even if he wanted too. Mito walked over and drew him into a hug, letting him cry on her shoulder. "It was all my fault, if I hadn't left her she wouldn't have died." He returned Mito's embrace and cried harder. "I'm so sorry, _I'm so sorry_."

But she only shook her head. "She's in a better place now. She's with her family again." His arms only tightened around her. "It was her choice in the end." Pulling away, she looked at Tobirama. "But did you tell her? Did you tell her that you were sorry?"

He nodded his head, but averted his eyes. "But it still wasn't enough."

"Nothing is ever enough for us humans. We're selfish beings that don't seem to care about anybody. Only a few of us actually understand, and she was one of them. She must have known in the end that you loved her, that you never meant to leave."

He just nodded his head and looked behind her, as if he was expecting Hashirama to walk out of a room. "Where is my brother?"

"He's talking to Noizumi. He had to call an emergency meeting because..." Mito didn't have to finish the sentence because they all knew. The former Uchiha Clan Head was now dead, and the new one would have to be chosen because Kagami was still too young to be in charge of a Clan. "Apparently, she made it to where Noizumi would become the new Clan Head of the Uchiha until Kagami is of age."

Tobirama looked back at her. "Where is Kagami?"

"Noizumi's grandmother came and took him back. She said that an Uchiha had no need to be in a Senju Compound."

"...Alright. If you need anything, I will be back at my house."

"Are you sure?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm. "You are welcomed to stay the night."

"Yes. I need...time to myself." Giving Mito a slight bow, Tobirama walked out of the house. And she noticed that not once did he loosen his tight grip on the sweater that must have been Izumi's.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

* * *

A week then passed since Izumi's passing and Hashirama was worried for his younger brother. On the exterior Tobirama acted fine, he acted as if nothing had happened. But Hashirama wouldn't be a good brother if he didn't know when Tobirama was acting, which he was doing. But as much as he wanted to talk to him about it, he had bigger things to worry about.

Like becoming a father.

The risk factor for Mito to have a child was already high because of the Kyūbi being contained, but after a visit to her parents and the seal masters of Uzushiogakure, the risk became even higher. Mito herself was very skilled in seals, in fact she was one of the best in Konoha. But in Uzushio there were people who put her to shame, which she said herself.

But after the visit, Hashirama realized that she wouldn't be able to have their child in Konoha. It would be risking the village if something were to happen to the seal during childbirth, which many of her clansmen worried for. This was why Hashirama needed prepare a place outside of Konoha that was still heavily guarded, because in the end she was the Hokage's wife _and_ a Jinchūriki. Already there was a plan to leave a week before her due date to prepare a place, which Hashirama was currently doing. His brother already promised to fill in the Hokage's seat during his absence.

"Thank again Tobirama for doing this." Hashirama said to his brother.

Tobirama looked up. "It is no problem Brother." Hashirama was practically overwhelmed with what was happening in this past week. He had just lost a close friend, he had to sign new paperwork because of the switch in Clan Head for the Uchiha Clan, his wife was about to go through what could be a life-threatening childbirth, and there were rumors of Kirigakure joining the war between Konoha and Kumo. And not to mention, he needed to watch his brother for anything unusual.

...Izumi, she was one of the few people Hashirama had truly called a friend and would have trusted his life with. To think she was...gone, just like that, was something that he could not come to terms with yet. It still hasn't hit him yet, that she would never come back. That he will never hear her laugh along one of his jokes, or have her scold him for being too childish. No matter how many times he said it in his head, he didn't believe it. Perhaps he never would.

"-rama, Hashirama." Startled out of his thoughts, Hashirama looked up and saw Tobirama staring at him.

"What?"

"I called your name five times. A runner came by and said that your wife needed you."

"Mito?" He asked as he stood up.

Tobirama nodded his head. "Yes. Nothing bad, just something about tomorrow and this following week."

"Ah, I see." His older brother nodded his head before sighing. "Well, can I trust you to finish reading these scrolls for me?"

"Of course." Thanking him, Hashirama left the room. Tobirama picked up the half-read scroll and started reading it. The scroll itself wasn't very interesting, it was basically about financial income of the village. It had fallen since the war began, but that was to be expected and Konoha had been prepared. But something caught his eye, it was a recurring string of words that made him suspicious. It was the words preparation, shift, and attack. The words were never in the same sentence together, but it still felt...important. Perhaps he was being paranoid, but Tobirama could stop thinking about it. He read it over and over until he was pretty sure he would be able to recite the damn thing.

"Damn it!" Throwing the scroll down on the table, it rolled off the edge and landed in the trash can but he didn't care. His head fell onto his hands, his head pounding.

Tobirama couldn't do it, not like this, not when he could barley keep his thoughts together. Before her...end, he was barely sleeping five hours a night. But now, there was only two hours of silence in his house before a scream disrupted it. His dreams were getting worse, they now all included her. He wondered if this was how she felt every single day before she ended it. To make matters worse, he sees her haunting him every day. She's standing by the corners whenever he makes a turn, she's watching him as he sits or eats. She's _everywhere_, and its making him loose his mind.

But...she told him to live, and that was a promise he intended to keep.

Sighing, Tobirama stood up and went to pick up the scroll when one with the Uchiha symbol stamped onto it caught his eye. Picking that one up, he unfurled it and began reading it. "…No funeral...erasing files...I'm sorry..." With every sentence he read, his blood boiled with anger. That damn Clan, only caring for itself.

Of course, his brother chose this exact moment to return back to the room. "Tobirama, what's gotten you so angry?" Hashirama asked.

"This."

His brother only wasn't even shocked when he saw the scroll Tobirama was showing him. He just sighed and shook his head. "I know. Noizumi had to personally hand that to me because he was scared that someone would try to stop him."

"They don't plan on giving her a funeral? She always cared for her clans well being and this is her reward? They're erasing any _existence_ of her!"

"I can't do anything about it Tobirama, as much as it offends me. How do you think they'd take it if I barged in there and demanded that they not do that? A quarter of that clan already thinks that everyone hates them because _I _was chosen as the Hokage."

"That and this are two totally separate things-"

Taking the scroll out of his hands, Hashirama pocketed it. "What goes on in that clan stays in that clan. Just like us, we don't let anyone besides a Senju control the clan's affairs."

"But-"

"Tobirama, that is enough!" He shouted out. His tone revealed how angry he was. "We all miss her, and I understand you more. But you need to clear your head, realize that what you are asking of is impossible. They _shunned _her, do you honestly think they were going to give her a proper farewell? You have to remember that they are one of the main reasons behind her death. No matter how much you complain about how its unfair and how they need to give her a funeral, it won't work."

Tobirama opened his mouth as if to argue more, but he closed it and realized his brother was right. "Sorry."

Hashirama only sighed. "Go home and get some rest. The paperwork can wait until tomorrow."

* * *

_**One year later…**_

_November_

* * *

_Tobirama wakes with a silent scream, the image of his dream clear in his mind._

"_It's okay Tobirama, you're fine." His head whirls to his right and he sees Izumi slowly sitting up, her eyes dazed with sleep._

"_W-What?"_

_She tilts her head. "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" She gently places her hand on his arm. "Was it your dream again?" But he stays silent, never moving from his position on the bed. But Izumi starts to move and sits on her knees so she can place her hand on his chest, a place where she can feel his heartbeat. "I'll always be here, so don't worry." She kisses his cheek with a smile._

* * *

Opening his eyes, he feels a certain wetness streaming down his face. He sat up but this time, the other side of his bed remained cold and empty. There were no soothing words this time to help calm him down. The only things that greeted him was a wet pillow from his tears and the faint touch of her hand on his chest with the warmth of her kiss that still lingered. They both may have been a dream, but they once were a reality.

Looking to the clock in his room, he was shocked to see that he had three hours of sleep. It was the first in weeks. Tobirama threw the blankets off his legs and stood up. There was no point in trying to fall back asleep again, only dreams and the pain that came along with them would be there. Changing into his usual wear, he grabbed a quick bite of rice and cooked salmon from the night before. It may have been three in the morning and the typical person would still be asleep, but not for him. He left his house and walked through the sleeping village to the Hokage Monument, where he climbed up the small hill that led you to the top.

You'd find him standing along the edge of the cliff as he held something in his hands. It was a necklace that had two rings on it, one too small for the man and the other the perfect size. And he'd stand there, just watching the sky until the sun rose. It was rare for him to be back in Konoha, usually you'd find him along the front lines battling enemy-nins. But during his times here, this was where you'd find him.

Tobirama's former students became Chunins about half a year ago, but the only reason was because of the war. The war...he knew something like this was going to happen. Already Konoha and Kumo were fighting a year ago, it was only a matter of time before the other Hidden Villages joined. Kumogakure, Kirigakure, and Iwagakure were the enemies while Sunagakure sided with Konoha. Konoha was thankful, to be honest. They may have been one of the larger and stronger villages but to go against three others? He didn't want to even imagine _that_ outcome.

But when he watched the sunrise no matter where he was at, it always made him feel at peace. "Tobirama." Already sensing his brother's chakra, Tobirama didn't bother turning around to greet him.

"Hashirama."

He stopped next to him. "How have you been? I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been fine." Tobirama turned to face his brother. In the few months he hasn't seen Hashirama, he could tell that he was far stressed than before. "How about you? I hear that Tsuna said her first few words."

His brother's face lit up at the mention of his one year old daughter. "She did. You should come visit her, she'll want to meet his Uncle."

He nodded his head. "Sure. I see no problem in that."

"Tobirama..." Hearing the sudden change in tone from Hashirama caused him to frown with worry.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

The older Senju only sighed before turning his head towards the sunrise. "The war is getting worse. I never wanted this to happen, not when I had almost everything I had ever hoped for in my reach."

"I told you Hashirama. You should've never gave away the Bijū like you did. It just caused more tension between us and the other Hidden Villages."

"I meant to do it as a power balance."

"And look at where it led us." Tobirama sighed. "But there's no point in dwelling over past choices. I'll be staying in Konoha for a while this time, so I'll be there to help like I did before everything went to hell."

Hashirama placed his hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "Thank you. You'll be a lot of help."

* * *

_**Later that day…**_

* * *

"Mito." Tobirama greeted the redhead. As promised, he decided to visit his brother's family sometime during the afternoon.

"Tobirama! I haven't seen you in so long!" Mito cried out! She ran to where he stood and give him a hug before she started fussing with him. "How are you? Have you been eating fine? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Calm down." He placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her. "I'm totally fine. Just a little tired-"

"Mama!" There was suddenly a shout that came from another room.

"Is that…?"

Mito smiled and nodded her head. "Yes!" She motioned for him to follow. "She's gotten so big compared to the last time you saw her."

"Mama!"

"Tsunade, guess who's here!" She went to pick up the blonde baby. She was a friendly baby, so when she saw the man standing behind her mother, the little girl started giggling. "It's Uncle Tobirama."

"Hello Tsuna." Tobirama gave her an awkward smile.

"Hi! I Tsunade!"

"...Oh."

Not expecting that, he looked at Mito and saw a smug look on her face. "I've been teaching her how to greet people and 'hi' happens to be one of the words she remembers."

"That's great." She set down her daughter and watched as the little blonde stagger over to Tobirama. Tsunade looked up at him and he watched as the little girl make faces at him. "You probably don't remember me." He said while kneeling down.

"Ch'kra!" She suddenly shouted out. "Ch'kra!" Pointing at him with a chubby hand, she giggled.

"Chakra?" Tobirama looked up at Mito, confused. Why would she suddenly shout out that word? Did she happen to recognize his chakra? When it came down to chakra sensing, he was sure he knew more than the average. "Do you remember my chakra?"

But it seemed that Tsunade didn't really _understand_, so she just smiled and kept shouting out chakra. Then suddenly, she threw her small chubby arms around him and hugged him.

Tobirama's eyes widened from the sudden hug, he froze for a few seconds before returning the hug. "Well, you've sure gotten bigger." His niece smiled before running back to her mother. She started jumping with her arms in the air, which Tobirama realized was her way of saying _carry me._ But when Mito picked her daughter up with a smile that lit up her face, a pang of pain went through him and he soon realized knew why.

It reminded him of Izumi and Kagami.

"Um...Mito?" He called out.

"Yes?"

"How is Kagami lately?" Her face softened with the mention of the young Uchiha.

"Kagami's doing well lately. He still comes by and visits us whenever he can, so that makes both Hashirama and I happy." Tobirama unconsciously smiled as he remembered the little boy. Kagami...just like Izumi, he was different compared to other Uchihas. Sure, the boy may have been young but there was just something _about_ him that screamed different. "You should smile more Tobirama." Her sudden comment brought him out of his thoughts. "We've all had a hard year...but the only thing we can do is smile and live our lives."

Tobirama wanted to shout out that he was trying, but that the war wasn't helping. He wanted to shout out that seeing _her_ in his dreams every night makes it worse. But he also knew that Mito was trying to help, so that was why he pushed down those thoughts to the back of his mind.

She meant well, so he did what she said and forced a small, believable smile onto his face.

* * *

_**One week later…**_

_November 27_

* * *

_She stands in front of his kneeling body, carrying a child with black hair and red eyes—not the red and black of a Sharingan but his red eyes. "Why did you leave us?" _

"_I never meant to."_

"_You broke your promise!" She screams out. Her face remains hidden by her hair. "You said you'd never leave!"_

"_I'm sorry!" He cries out but the moment he did, the baby in her arms starts to wail._

"_...This is what could have been." She whispers, trying to calm the baby down. "We could have been a family. I could have been a mother to a child."_

"_Please, I never meant too." He feels tears stream down his face._

_She finally looks up and he sees tears of blood streaming down her white eye and normal, clear tears streaming down the other. "But it doesn't matter anymore, does it?" She takes a step forward, bring her closer to him. "I'm gone—dead, because of **you**."_

_He places his hands on the ground so he won't fall face forward into the ground. "Please..."_

"_It hurts, doesn't it? Knowing that you're the __reason."_

"_Stop..."_

_He suddenly feels her hand under his chin, making him look up at her. "But in the end, you can't help **but** love me, right Tobirama? You tell yourself that now that I'm gone, your feelings have changed. But they don't, because they torment you everyday and every night." She smiles, but when he blinks he sees a trail of blood leaving from the side of her mouth. "What were my last words? Live?" She laughs, but one full of darkness. "Such...nonsense. But those words and your devotion to your brother and village stop you from joining me in Hell." Standing up, the baby in her arms quiets down and she looks at it. "If only he was this devoted to us."_

_At this point, he's sobbing, but he knows her earlier words ring true. "I'm so sorry…Izumi."_

* * *

Shooting up from his bed, it took Tobirama a few seconds before he realized that what he had just saw was a dream. "Kami..." He rubbed his face before groaning. He knew why that dream happened; it was a cruel way for his subconscious mind to tell him that today was _that_ date. With today, it would be a year since she...died. He got up and changed, but didn't bother eating anything. He didn't feel like eating, if he did he'd probably throw it back up anyways.

Instead of going towards the Hokage Monument, he steeled himself and used his Hiraishin to teleport to where he last saw her. Standing where he was now at the edge of the cliff, it made the pain he was feeling escalate. It hurt_—_it hurt to breath or to watch as people around him get married and have children. It hurt because he knew that because of his own damn choice, he ruined what would have been a wonderful life. He fully blamed himself because he _knew_ it was his fault, whether his brother said otherwise. And Tobirama knew he'd live with that mistake haunting him for the rest of his life.

Setting down the flowers he brought, he watched as the sun started to rise. He remembered Izumi telling him that she loved seeing the sunrise, that it made her feel...normal. "I hope you are happy now Izumi..." He whispered. "I hope that you are back with your family and friends." He fell onto one knee and soon his other. He sat down on his knees and took of his necklace so he could hold onto their rings. "I miss you, and I do understand you for your choice. I would never blame you for it. I led you to it and no matter how many times I apologize, it won't make up for it. Nothing will."

He had so much to say, but he couldn't put it to words. All these emotions, these feelings that he kept at bay started to leak out of whatever barrier he unconsciously put up. "I've seen so much death in this year alone, whether it be from Konoha or the enemy. I've seen each and every comrade fall for this village and it makes me so _angry_ to know that I won't die. I know my punishment is this, living without _you._ And I'm _sorry_." With these words, he remembered his dream from this morning. "But you're right, I try to tell myself that my feelings have changed since you've gone, but they haven't, not at all." His head slumped forward until his chin hit his chest. He felt so...defeated. "I'm so sorry."

Tobirama stayed in that position for only a few minutes when he felt a familiar feeling brush across his back. It was warm, full of love and...forgiveness. He whirled around and met with a gust of warm wind_—_so different to the cold, November air that he should have felt. "Izumi…?" He called out. Tobirama never got a response, but he knew that that wind...was hers. It made him feel hope for the first time in months, it made him feel like he'd be able to wake up the next day without troubles.

It made him feel as if he was forgiven.

The wind got even stronger and it engulfed him_—_it made him feel as if he was being embraced by her. He was crying, but his tears weren't from sadness. They were from happiness and for the first time in months, he knew he was truly smiling. "Thank you Izumi..." He cried out. A red lily suddenly floated in front of him, a flower that escaped the bundle that he had brought. His eyes widened before he reached down and picked it up. A red lily, it symbolized love and affection for a loved one. There was only one lily in that bouquet he brought, and to see it in front of him _now_, made him realize something. Standing up, he took a step forward and another, feeling the best he's felt in _months_. With ever step he took, he felt an energy that sparked forgotten emotions from him. It made him feel _alive_, something he hadn't felt in years.

And with another step, the chains that bounded him to the guilt broke, letting him go.

When he disappeared, the flower that he held floated to the ground where he stood, but it didn't stay there for long. With the last of the warm wind, it flew off the edge and _soared _throughout the air along with the wind until it disappeared, never falling back down to the ground.

* * *

**A/N: **_I'M SO SORRY BUT I HAD TO DO IT. IT JUST FELT...RIGHT. I literally shed a few tears while writing this because it means that this story is almost over. Originally, I planned to have you guys choose and some of you probably saw that chapter I had posted for a few hours before I took it down. But after talking with a close friend who also read the story, she managed to change my mind and make me realize that this was __my__ story, so I should ultimately choose what should happen. So please ignore that last chapter because this is the real one. So...sorry again! _

_Some of you are going to hate me and some of you are probably going to love (?) me. Get over it I guess._

_But I have one or two more chapters (depends on how much content is the chapter I write) with Tobirama's P.O.V until his death. And after that, we'll be back to Izumi's P.O.V, but it'll be either during the fight against Orochimaru and Hiruzen in the fist Naruto or the Fourth Shinobi War, I haven't decided on that yet._

_Ugh, I don't recommend reading/writing while listening to sad theme musics. God, I was listening to the Fairy Tail sad theme (wrong anime, I know) and Sadness and Sorrow from Naruto. Both were covered by Taylor Davis. She's just wonderful xD_

_Recommending __the _**_Ashes_** **_Trilogy _**_by _**_Ilsa J. Beck._**_ I'm pretty sure I haven't recommended this book series yet and let me just tell you that I absolutely love it. This is what got me into the Apocalyptic genre in reading._

_SO PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW BECAUSE I REALLY WANT TO KNOW YOUR GUYS OPINION. YOU CAN YELL CURSE CRY AT ME BUT JUST PLEASE __REVIEW__!_

_So please review and follow/fav. if you haven't already!_

_Until next time!~_

_(Also, I know Tsunade was born in August but being the idiot that I am, I didn't even think about it until now so for the sake of this story she's born in November. Thanks!)_


	27. The End

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS OR PLOTS. I ONLY OWN IZUMI AND ANY OTHER OC.

* * *

**Long after you've forgotten someone's voice, you can still remember the sound of their happiness of their sadness. You can feel it in your body.**

Anne Michaels, _The Winter Vault_

* * *

**The End**

"HASHIRAMA!" Tobirama shouted out, his hand reaching for Hashirama.

The older Senju coughed out blood, but he didn't let it hinder his movements. In fact, it made him attack the nearest opponent even stronger. "Leave Tobirama! Take the men and _leave!_"

Stabbing the man next to him, he tried to rush to where his older brother stood but was stopped by, yet again, another enemy-nin. "I can't—"

"Don't let my death be meaningless! I'm doing this to save you, to save our comrades!" Hashirama grimaced at the pain in his chest. A man from earlier managed to slip through his defenses and stab him, but Hashirama had quickly killed the man. He wouldn't let a wound like this stop him now, not when everyone was counting on him. "You are to be the next Hokage, so lead our people Tobirama!" Tobirama couldn't believe it, this couldn't be happening. Not his brother, not _Hashirama_. Tobirama felt tears pooling around his eyes. "I love you Tobirama, protect my children and wife, protect the ones I love!"

As much as he wanted to stay, Tobirama knew that this was the most logical thing to do, as much as it was cruel. His grip on his sword tightened, his mind finally coming to a decision. "...Fine." Looking up, his eyes met with his brother's for what would be the last time. "I love you Hashirama." He whispered, and he knew that Hashirama heard him because soon after Tobirama could see tears streaming down his brother's face.

"GO!" Hashirama roared out. His moves became even more erratic as he killed the men surrounding him. For a second, Tobirama hoped that they actually might win, that his brother would be able to defeat the enemies surrounding him. But he could sense the new wave of enemy-nins and it would only be a matter of time before they would reach where they were fighting. If that were to happen, Tobirama knew they'd lose. It didn't matter that they had three powerful shinobis, one being a Kage and the other two who could possibly _rival_ one. Because in the end, it didn't matter when you were practically running on fumes. He knew that if he continued using his chakra the way he was right now, he wouldn't last another hour. Hesitating only for a second, Tobirama turning around and starting running, leaving his brother.

From the corner of his eyes, Hashirama saw him leaving which led a smile to form on his face. This was his last stand, this was where he would die and the funny thing was that he wasn't afraid. And if it meant saving his brother and the village from invasion for another day, then it was worth it. It wasn't goodbye forever, he'd surely meet Mito and his children again, and until then he'd wait. Besides, he'd be able to see his family and friends, he'd be able to see Itama and Kawarama. He'd even be able to see Madara and Izumi. But for now, he fought. Gripping his sword tighter, Hashirama roared and ran forward, determined to take down as many men as he could.

It was easy at first, despite the excruciating pain coming from his chest. But as the minutes passed, his attacks became more sluggish, losing the power that they once possessed before. There were too many of the enemies now and Hashirama knew that this would be the end. It wasn't long before another enemy-nin managed to stab him again, making sure he wouldn't be able to move anymore.

This was why thirty minutes later, Hashirama would be laying on the ground, looking up at the dark sky while watching the rain. The water falling on him mixed with his blood, turning it more pink than red.

"You did good Hashirama." With the last of his strength, the turned his head to the voice that belong to a person he hasn't seen in years.

"...Izumi." He breathed out her name, not having enough power to say it outloud.

The dead Uchiha walked over to where he laid. She looked...at peace now, so different from her last days. "You have saved your comrades." Izumi smiled. Her Konoha hitai-ate was tied around her forehead proudly, just like he remembered. "You're dying, does that not scare you?"

Hashirama shook his head. "I'm not...afraid anymore." One by one, familiar faces surrounded him. Itama, Kawarama, Father, Mother.

"Despite your situation, you still manage to smile." Izumi kneeled down and held out her hand. "But I guess you wouldn't be you if you didn't die with a smile, right?"

He chuckled, blood slowly dripping out from the corner of his mouth. "Damn...right."

Smiling, Izumi placed her hand on his chest. "You worry for Mito and your children. But don't worry, you'll see them again. We all will."

"Yes..we will." His breathing slowed, and he was starting to lose his eyesight. But he always saw his family watching him with smiles on their faces.

"So until then, we'll wait, ne?"

"Of...course." And with that, the man known as the God of Shinobi took his last breath, leaving the world of the living.

* * *

_**One week later...**_

* * *

Tobirama was being supported by one of his men as the survivors from the fight struggled walking into the village. He saw many familiar faces, but the one that stood out most was Mito.

"Mito-sama." The man supported him bowed to her and let her take Tobirama's arm.

She nodded her head back and looked around. "Where's Hashirama?"

A sharp sliver of pain went through his heart when he heard his older brother's name. His head falling down, Tobirama struggled to keep in his tears. He need to keep himself composed, if not for him then for Mito and the rest of the village. "...I'm sorry."

Her head flew to his. "...What?"

He shook his head. "We were ambushed...and I...oh Kami, I'm sorry."

Mito's eyes widened, finally realizing what he meant. "He's…?" He didn't do anything, but that was a respond enough because not even a second later she let out a sob. "No no no…"

"Mito." He pulled his head up and struggled to stand up straight. But he needed too, he knew he wouldn't be the only one mourning for his brother's death. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, I've failed again." He whispered.

She just cried harder into his chest, mourning for the loss of her husband.

* * *

They were in their fifth year of the War and every year the casualties grew in number—but never had it been as bad as now. They lost their first leader, a man that loved the village as if it was his family. Tobirama would never be a leader like Hashirama; it wasn't the fact that he was their first leader, it was the way Hashirama had with people that would leave him marked down in history as probably the best leader the village would ever know. And to know that he was stepping into his brother's footsteps as Hokage? It scared him. What if he made a mistake, what if he did something that would worry his brother?

"Don't worry Tobirama, you'll be a great Hokage." Startled out of his thoughts, Mito fixed his clothes. "Your worry is written all over your face."

"It's just that…I'll never be as great as my brother."

Pain flashed through her face. "He was...special. He just had a way with everything that made it feel as if there would be no trouble in the world, that he'd fix it." She said, a tremble in her voice at the end of her sentence. But she managed to compose herself, if not for him then for herself. "We just need to continue on the hopes and dreams of those who've died because they're not here to accomplish them themselves." She gave him a small, quiet laugh. "There's no jutsu in the world that'll bring them back."

To bring them back...To bring Izumi and Hashirama back would mean breaking the barrier between life and death. This power was something that no one had. But what if…?

"Mito...what if we could?" Tobirama asked quietly. Her head flew up, shocked.

"A jutsu to bring back the dead? That's playing god Tobirama."

"But it's not impossible. As long as we have chakra, we could do anything—_create_ anything."

"I don't know…" Mito couldn't believe he'd even consider something like this. Tobirama was usually more...levelheaded, he'd think about the outcome of his decisions instead of rushing into a problem headfirst. But this, it sounded as if he was desperate.

"It may not work. In fact, it probably won't, but it wouldn't hurt to try...right?" He asked, hope in his voice. He knew that without Mito's fuinjutsu skills, he'd never be able to get anywhere _near_ accomplishing a jutsu like this. Tobirama placed his hand on Mito's shoulders. The two standing alone in the Hokage office were too consumed with grief to properly think about what Tobirama had just suggested. The thought of bringing back a loved one was too tempting to them. Had the two been thinking more clearly, they would never even _suggest_ such an idea. But alas, death changes people.

Some...more than others.

Three years passed since that day before Tobirama and Mito managed to actually complete the jutsu. It had involved so much of their time and effort that no matter the outcome, they needed to try the jutsu. They both had put in so much sacrifices not too. Tobirama, Mito, and a few hand selected members were the only ones present to actually witness the jutsu being used for the first time on an actual person. Before, they had experimented on animals, but never humans. But humans were animals, were they not?

"I'm not so sure about this anymore Tobirama…"

Looking down at his sister-in-law, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know, but we must." Steeling himself, he motioned for the newly created ANBU guards to bring the prisoner forward.

The man that they were going to use as a sacrifice was a traitor to the Leaf. He had betrayed Konoha for _money_, something that Tobirama found ridiculous. To betray the only home he's ever known for something so lowly as cash only managed to create an emotion in him that he could only describe as disgust.

"P-Please Nidaime, forgive me. I didn't mean to do it, I swear!"

Tobirama stared down at the man with cold, red eyes. "The moment you betrayed this village was the moment you lost any right to ask for forgiveness." After paralyzing the man, he ordered everyone to stand a few feet away so that if something _were_ to happen, no one would get hurt besides the prisoner. Taking slow, calm breaths helped Tobirama focus on the handseals and the jutsu he was about to cast. He had only one chance, just once to make sure he didn't screw anything up.

"Tobirama, here's the scroll."

"It contains his hair?" He asked, taking the sealed scroll from Mito's hands. She nodded her head before taking a few steps back to stand with the rest of the people. "Well...here goes nothing." Tobirama whispered.

Going through the five handseals, Tobirama clapped his hands at the last one and slammed them down on the ground. "Kuchiyose: Edo Tensei!" He shouted out. Two black lines shot out from where he placed his hands, carving out intricate designs across the whole field until it stopped at where the prisoner was. Right under him was a large circle until the scroll containing _his_ DNA unfurled itself. Right then, the man started screaming in pain as ash started to coat his body. Only when it covered it entirely did the man stop screaming.

He sensed Mito take small steps toward him, her chakra flaring out worryingly. "Did it...work?" She asked.

"I feel a chakra taking over the prisoner, but it's too soon to tell if the chakra is _his_ or not—" Tobirama was interrupted when the ash surrounding the man disappeared, and in his place was...Hashirama.

A small, choked sound came out of Mito's mouth while Tobirama could only stare at the man that now stood in front of him. His brother was back…they really manage to do the jutsu correctly. This meant that he had created a jutsu that could bring someone _back_.

"...Tobirama...Mito?"

"Oh Kami...Hashirama!" Mito shot forward and threw her arms around him. More than half of Tobirama's chakra was gone now because of the jutsu but it was worth it, especially to see his brother again.

"Why am I here? I should be dead." The dead Senju asked, one arm around his crying wife and another on his forehead.

Tobirama stood up and motioned for the rest of the group to stay put. "We...created a jutsu, Hashirama, to summon the dead." Immediately, a dark look crossed over his face, scaring Mito. She took a tentative step away from Hashirama and looked at Tobirama worryingly.

Out of all reactions, this was one that Tobirama was expecting the most. He knew that his brother would disapprove of his choice to create a jutsu like this, but he just _had_ too, especially if it meant that he'd be able to see Izumi again, now that he was able to meet Hashirama.

"Why," The former Hokage growled out, "would you even _consider_ creating a goddamn jutsu like this? Did you even think of the consequences of creating this jutsu?"

"H-Hashirama...we just wanted to see you again—"

"_No_." Hashirama took a step away from Mito's outstretched hands. "Destroy this jutsu, erase it from any existence. If this falls into enemy hands, the outcome of it will be disastrous."

"Wait—"

"Release me from the bonds Tobirama. I do not want to stay here any longer. I know that you two were mourning, I understand. But this is playing Kami, and there are reasons to why we can't do that." Hashirama looked at Mito, who was crying. "I'm sorry dear, I know this wasn't what you wanted when you saw me again. But this…" He motioned to himself. "This isn't the way I want to see you again." He placed a hand on her cheek and smiled, before turning to Tobirama. "Tobirama, you've gotten older compared to the last time I saw you. How long has it been?"

"...Three years, brother."

"Already?" Hashirama motioned for his brother. Tobirama walked up to him and not even a second later did Hashirama put his other hand on his shoulder. "Release me, please." And so, Tobirama did exactly what Hashirama asked of him to do. He released him from the Edo Tensei, causing Hashirama to start disintegrating into ash. Half a minute later, Tobirama and Mito were standing alone, Tobirama comforting Mito because of the guilt and anguish that seeing Hashirama caused.

Not even a week later, hestood in front of the large safe that held all the kinjutsus known throughout Konoha. It held one of his newest creations, the Kage Bunshin. After a few accidents with sudden chakra exhaustion for certain shinobis, he decided the jutsu wasn't worth the risk. Just like today, the Edo Tensei jutsu wasn't worth the risk to keep around.. Taking one last look at the scroll that contained the process of bringing the dead, he placed it on one of the shelves before walking out of the room.

* * *

_**Two years later...**_

* * *

Ironically, Tobirama turned 37 the day he died. It was supposed to be a simple mission with the team that he had been working with for the past few years during the war. A simple recon mission that turned into a full retreat because of a large group of enemies. They were safe for the moment, as they had all found a safe spot. But it wouldn't be safe for long, the enemy was still chasing after Tobirama and his team. Homura, Koharu, Torifu, and Kagami circled around Tobirama, waiting for him to finish sensing for their enemies.

"Hmm...just like I thought. We're surrounded by around...20 of them. And judging by their tracking skills, they're Kumogakure's Kinkaku Unit."

"There are seven of us here total, including you Nidaime-sama. That makes us outnumbered greatly."

"Homura, don't say something that makes you seem weak!" Koharu scolded to her long time teammate. "There's still hope since they haven't pinpointed our actual location yet. I say we should stay put and wait for an opportunity to run."

"There's no point Koharu." Kagami looked at her with his sharingan still activated. "Judging by our current situation, someone is going to have to divert the enemy's attention."

"A decoy then." Akimichi Torifu stated the obvious, paling even more. "That means certain death...so who?"

Tobirama's eyes narrowed. He wanted to see what his students would propose. Immediately, he saw Danzo grip his knees while a look of conflict appeared on his face. Did he want to do this? But judging by him looking at Saru, Tobirama wasn't so sure anymore. He knew of the dislike Danzo had towards Hiruzen, but to what extent Tobirama didn't know.

"I'll do it." His thoughts were interrupted by Hiruzen's sudden declaration.

"Hiruzen!"

"Sarutobi…"

Hiruzen chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Don't worry, you know me by now! It'll take more than something like this to take me down. I may not look it but I can handle myself pretty well."

Tobirama noticed that Danzo stopped shaking the moment Hiruzen declared he would be the decoy. Was it from shock? Or from anger?

"I'm counting on you to look after the others Danzo—"

"_Shut up!_" Danzo ripped his arm away from Hiruzen's hand. "I was planning on volunteering! Don't try to steal the spotlight, I'll be the decoy in your stead!" He shouted out angrily, his emotions getting the best of him. "My father and grandfather both died on the battlefield...Self-sacrifice is a shinobi's duty!"

It may not have shown on his face, but Tobirama was slightly amused at watching his team interact, especially Danzo and Saru. It would have been interesting to see the outcome of their relationship, too bad he wouldn't be around to. His mind already made up, Tobirama slightly raised his voice. "No, I will go and be the decoy. You are all the young Wills of Fire that will protect our village."

"You can't do that! You're the Hokage, there is no greater shinobi in the village than you!"

"Danzo...you're always competing with Saru over the smallest little things, but the thing _you_ need to do now is to unite and work together with everyone as comrades. Do _not _make every single thing personal, especially right now. It's true that you took too long to reach your decision. But to even do something like this, you need to first look at yourself rationally and known yourself. But at the rate you're going now, the only thing you're going to do is to put your comrades in danger." Tobirama continued. "But you two are still young, don't be too hasty. Your time will come, so until then stay alive."

Standing up, he looked at every single one of the members surrounding him, his gaze lingering on Kagami before looking once more at Hiruzen. "Saru, protect those who love the village and those who believe in you, and nurture the ones that you can trust the next generation with. Because starting tomorrow...you're the Hokage... I leave you to protect Konoha."

Hiruzen bowed his head. "Hai!" Seeing this, Tobirama smiled because he knew he had made the correct choice.

On the battlefield, Tobirama never brought his emotions with him. He strictly kept them separate while fighting because that was just the right thing to do. But this time...he wouldn't be coming back, so to hell with those rules that he kept. Walking over to Kagami, he placed his hand on the head of the youngest member of the team. No one questioned this because they all knew of the relationship Tobirama had with Izumi, who was Kagami's late aunt before she disappeared. "Kagami...be strong."

Kagmai's grown so much since that little three year old boy he used to watch over. He was 15 years old and already a prodigy amongst the Uchiha, with proper training, he'd become even stronger as he got older. "Hai...Tobi-nii." The only Uchiha whispered, obviously trying to keep his emotions at bay. Tobirama ruffled Kagami's hair before turning back to everyone else on the team.

"It was an honor, working with you all."

"Hai Sensei!"

"Thank you." Smiling at his team one last time, Tobirama jumped away, towards the incoming group of enemies.

* * *

Tobirama pushed himself up against the large rock, blood gushing out of the gaping wound in his stomach. He didn't have long, but he knew that his comrades were safe, that his distraction was enough to save them. Looking down at his hands, he saw that they were covered in blood. Most of his, but some were from the enemy, which made him slightly happy.

Then suddenly, he felt a drop of water fall onto his hands. Tobirama looked up with all his strength and watched as large, drops of rain started to fall onto him and the land around him. "R-Rain…" He smiled, blood trickling down from his nose and the corner of his mouth.

A fitting weather to die with.

"Tobirama."

He brought his head down, his eyes widening at the person standing a few feet in front of him. To think, that she'd be the one to greet him as he died, but it still brought a smile to his face to see _her's_. "I-Izumi..." He called out, not having the strength to stand up and run to her. She walked over to him, still as beautiful as he remembered. "I've missed...you so...much."

Izumi kneeled down and gently placed her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch, memories of the time before her death rushing through him. It was a time when he was still happy, when she was still alive and with him. "There'll be no more pain Tobirama, no more."

"R-Really?"

Izumi placed a kiss onto his bare forehead placing her hand over his own. "Yes."

"That would be...nice."

She gave him a smile that still managed to bring a wave of emotion through him. Standing up, she looked up at the sky before holding out her hand to him. "Let's go home, Tobirama."

"Home…" Gathering the rest of his strength, he raised his hand and let it fall onto hers. "Yes, I would love too." The moment his hand connected with hers, he felt a new type of strength flow through him, letting him stand up. Not even a second later, he was surrounded by a white light that seemed to comfort him.

"I've missed you too." Turning around, he saw Izumi standing behind him, looking as powerful as she did before.

And for the first time in years, a sob left Tobirama's mouth. He ran forward and gathered Izumi into his arms, spinning them around and around. They both were crying, but from joy and love instead.

Still in his arms, Izumi placed her hands on his face and leaned down and kissed the man. "I love you so much." She whispered against his lips before pulling away to place her forehead against his.

"I love you too. I never stopped, and I never will no matter where I'll go from here." Tobirama gave her a honest smile, before she claimed his lips once more.

The two souls were finally reunited, the lost pieces in their hearts finally mending it into one once again. Their story was one full of loss and tragedy, but still a story of love nonetheless. There would ones similar to theirs, but never as powerful and moving.

It was said that a Senju and Uchiha falling in love was hopeless, that nothing good could come out of it. That there would be no happiness. But those who said that were wrong. Their love was powerful, unbreakable, _infinite. _Their story began from the moment Uchiha Izumi looked into Senju Tobirama's red eyes when she was four years old.

And now, this story is complete.

"I will love you forever, Uchiha Izumi."

"And I too, will love you forever, Senju Tobirama."

* * *

**A/N: **_GOD THIS ENDING IS MAKING ME SO EMOTIONAL IDK WHYYYYYYY. Well, Looking into His Eyes is now officially OVER. The next chapter will be an epilogue, but it's just about the fourth shinobi war. _

_So, I hope you guys enjoyed this story with all of it's angst and the wierd shit that's happened in it. It's been a good one guys, and thank you all for 242 Favorites, 301 Follows, and 245 Reviews. I hope that my story was a worthy one :)_

_My last, and probably final recommendation for this story is __**Eleanor &amp; Park**_ _by_ _**Rainbow Rowell**__. This book is a love story focused on two teens during the 80's, but it's just so emotional and deep. It shows that love can happen to anyone, that you don't have to be society's ideal woman because in the eyes of the person who loves you and in yourself, you __**are beautiful**_. _This society we live in now is so mean and demanding, so this book made me really happy, so READ IT._

_Other than that? There's nothing really left to say. I just hope that this ending is satisfying enough! _

_So please, __**review**_ _because it would just mean the world to me to know your guy's opinion._

_Thank you all once again! _

_Until I see you guys in my next new story, stay awesome!~_


	28. Soulmate AU - Colors in the Sky

DISCLAIMER**:** I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS AND PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC AND ANY OTHER. I ALSO DO NOT OWN THIS AU.

* * *

_**Color AU: **__Everyone is born color blind and their sights are fixed once they meet their soulmate._

* * *

_**粉雪ねえ、心まで白く染められたなら**_

_**二人に孤独を包んで空にかえすから。**_

_**Come color me in pure white snow, now let it show**_

_**Right through your soul and through our lives**_

_**Come cover me, ah, while I dream a dream that's true**_

_**Like crystal white, for me and you.**_

_Konayuki_ by Remioromen

(English cover/translation by BENI)

* * *

**Colors in the Sky**

The moment your eyes met with your Soulmate's, your destiny was etched in stone forever. They would be yours, and you theirs. The colors only allowed to those with a full soul would be shown, showing you the beauty of love and the world.

But during an era of conflict, this saying was ignored.

The Uchiha were told the moment they became a shinobi that if they were to see color on the battlefield while fighting an enemy, they were to kill that person immediately. It was a weakness to have, particularly in a time of war. Seeing colors meant Soulmates, which would in turn lead to love and betrayal, something the Uchiha had no tolerance for. Many have done exactly so, killing their own Soulmates for the sake of the Clan. In this time of war, love was sacrificed for what the Elders deemed _the greater good_.

This was why she never mentioned her color to anyone in her clan, even to her own twin. Izumi had a narrowing suspicion that her brother Izuna had known but it didn't matter since he was dead, killed in the war that they were still fighting in. But the Elders were not all cruel. They did not care if you were to see color within the Clan, because it meant your Soulmate was an Uchiha. They even let certain people marry into the Hagoromo Clan if they were able to prove the colors.

But Izumi? She was a different story. Unfortunately, her Soulmate was not from the Uchiha nor the Hagoromo. Hers happened to be from the one Clan that the Uchiha hated above all, the Senju. He wasn't just a Senju too, he was the brother of the famous _Shinobi no Kami_, a shinobi who rivaled her eldest brother's power.

Her Soulmate was Senju Tobirama.

* * *

"I have a Soulmate." She looked down to her twin's grave, a year after Izuna's death. The words felt…wrong to say, because of the denial she held towards that topic for the past five years. "I should have told you sooner." She closed her eyes, guilt and shame washing over her, intensifying her sadness. Why didn't she tell him sooner, when he was alive? "How was it like, little brother? To see in color and able to accept it?" Little by little, tears fell from her eyes and onto his stone. Needing something to distract her, she decided to observe the flowers that were placed below her.

Izumi could only name one color other than black and white. The rest were unknown to the Uchiha Matriarch in fear of being questioned for seeking the names of the rest. It never stopped her thought, so instead she named the colors after things she found. On the stone was a flower the color of the sky and another the color of the sun. Beneath those was one the color of someone's blush, reminding her of a person's shyness.

However, a minute later Izumi felt something…wrong. Her heart was beating too fast and it _hurt_. Grabbing her chest, she fell her knees and she barely had another second to place her other hand on the ground to prevent her face from meeting the ground. She was gasping for air, her entire body feeling _wrong_. As she looked at the flowers, she knew something had happened with Tobirama. The colors that she had gotten so used to slowly drained away to the dull monochrome colors of the typical person.

Turning her head to look away, instead she saw him standing a few feet away, looking at her in fear as a sword stuck out of his chest.

"No…" She whispered, fear flashing through her. Her hand gripped her shirt even harder, afraid for _him_, her Soulmate. She pushed every emotion she had into whatever bond they had. It felt like forever until the colors finally returned and her breath evening out. A sob of relief left her mouth before she pulled herself against her twin's gravestone and embraced the coldness of the rock, needing something to anchor her. This was the closest thing she had hugging her brother, something that had always calmed her down. As her heart started to return to its normal beating, she realized that her Elders were right.

Soulmates were a dangerous thing.

* * *

Tobirama remembered seeing her when he was stabbed. He remembered seeing her brown eyes, her black hair. He remembered seeing her reaching for him in fear, crying out in pain for him.

"_You are lucky brother, that wound of yours should have killed you." Hashirama sat next to him in the medic tent. Tobirama was currently healing from the wound on his chest, a wound that was nearly fatal not even an hour ago._

"_How did I survive then?" He asked._

"_I don't know; I was hoping that you could tell me." The suspicion in Hashirama's voice started to scare Tobirama._

"_What does that mean?"_

_His brother ran his hand through his hair before sighing. "Tobi, your wound was somewhat _healing_ itself before I even arrived. The only other time I've ever seen that was, well…"_

"_Was what?" Tobirama sat up despite his body's protest. He wanted to know what his brother would say but in the end, he already knew the answer to his own question._

"_It was when I was healing someone with their own Soulmate next to me." Hashirama's eyes looked up at him. "They shared the pain, Tobi. The other was doing something and his wound was healing itself alongside the iryoninjutsu I was healing him with."_

Tobirama stood on the riverside, the memory of that day fresh on his mind. Grabbing a rock, he stretched his arm behind him before throwing it, watching as it skimmed the water before sinking into the river.

Why him? Why was he the one who had to have a Soulmate? Why couldn't it have been Hashirama, his highly emotional brother instead?

He threw another rock to the river when he sensed a foreign chakra behind him. _How could he have let someone sneak up on him like that –_

"Tobirama?" Her voice shocked him and he slowly turned around. The moment their eyes met, the colors around them _erupted_. Colors they both had never seen before presented themselves before the two, their eyes widening in awe.

There were the different shades of blue in the sky and the little changes in green on the grass and trees behind them.

The violet and the blue that went well together on the birds.

They both took a step towards each other before Izumi shook her head and pulled away, also bringing him out of whatever stupor they both were just in. "Why was it you?" Her eyes narrowed at him. "Why did it have to be you?!" She shouted out angrily, the mood from earlier vanishing. Izumi hated it, the way her heart yearned for him.

He felt his emotions change from what was earlier surprise to anger. "You think I wanted this? Especially with an Uchiha, out of all people?" He growled out in return, unexpectedly out of character. "I never wanted this Izumi, I never wanted a Soulmate. I wanted to live my whole life in black and white, when it was easier."

"You think I wanted a fucking Senju as_ my_ Soulmate? Of course I didn't! I was a freak in my own damn clan!" Izuna flashed before her eyes before she blocked her brother's memory out. "I couldn't even tell my damn twin in fear of being called a traitor!" She wiped her eyes with the palms of her hands and left it there, not wanted to see the man that practically ruined everything. She didn't want to see the new colors that she had never seen before. She didn't want to see Tobirama because if she did, everything would unravel itself. Her anger, the longing for him, the sudden sadness that she was feeling. "I was supposed to kill you Tobirama, for being my Soulmate."

"Well you didn't." He stated the obvious. "You could always try now but I won't let you because I quite like my life."

Hearing these words, she pulled her hands away and stared at him angrily and in disbelief. "Are you tempting me, _Senju?_"

"You're the one who's saying that you should have killed me." He opened his arms and narrowed his eyes at her. "Come and kill me then, _Uchiha. _If you can, that is."

In a blink of an eye, she unsheathed her katana and ran towards him, the strange colors of the sunset and the new colors of the trees blurring together. He brought his kunai out and blocked her swing, sliding it down the blade to try and disarm her. In return, she brought her leg up to kick him in the stomach but he teleported away, leading growl out in frustration.

Sensing that he was now behind her, she brought her katana up in defense as he brought his kunai down, aiming for her back – now her chest. As Izumi looked at his face, her eyes were immediately drawn to his eyes.

Red.

That was the color of his eyes, the only name she knew for a color. His red wasn't like the red of her sharingan and it wasn't the color of blood. His eyes were like the color of the sunset, the red that appeared along with the other colors. It was…beautiful.

Izumi growled out in frustration and managed to disarm Tobirama. She kicked him in the chest and watched as he fell to the ground. She jumped onto his chest and lifted her arms, the katana in her hands positioned to stab him.

"Do it."

Her arms and hands shook as she continued staring at him.

"Kill me."

With a cry, Izumi brought down her katana.

* * *

_Five years prior_

* * *

Izumi walked along the edge of the clan compound with her older brother, Katsumi. "Is something bothering you Izu-chan?"

Her head flew up to meet her elder brother's black eyes. "No, not really."

"If you say so." He shrugged his shoulders and continued, the two venturing further into the forest.

"Actually nii-san, something is bothering me." She finally admitted a few minutes later.

Katsumi already knew what this was about. He was just waiting for her to bring up the topic of conversation. "Is it about Izuna finally finding his Soulmate?" She remained silent, answering his question. Her brother sighed before poking her on the forehead. "Don't worry, that baka needs you. You're his sister, his twin. You two practically share the same brain after all."

"_Hey!_"

Katsumi held up his hands in defense. "It's true!" Izumi laughed at this and he smiled at this. "But honestly, you have nothing to worry about. He may have found his Soulmate, but he won't ever forget you." He ruffled his sister's hair. "Okay?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah." She wanted to say more but the change on her brother's face surprised her. "Katsumi-nii?"

"Run." He suddenly said. "Run!" Not needing to be told a third time, Izumi ran back towards the direction they came in, her brother following close behind.

What had her brother sensed that she hadn't? She tried to look for signs of enemies but she could sense none, even with her Sharingan activated –

"Look out!" Turning around, she tackled her brother to the ground, a kunai buried in the tree where her brother's head was at. He pulled at her and the two scrambled behind the tree, breathing heavily. "What the hell is going on?" She hissed out.

"I don't know." Her brother pulled out a kunai and looked around, his Sharingan activated like her. "Do you think the compound is being attacked?"

"We're too far into the forest. I can't tell." She answered.

"I can tell that the attackers this time aren't Senju. Their chakra's different."

"How can you tell?"

He looked down at her, a look she didn't understand in his eyes. "The colors."

Colors were something that was rarely talked about in her clan. They were mysterious and it was practically taboo, even if you had a Soulmate. However, people like her elder brother Katsumi were born seeing color. They were rare, only a handful known in the Uchiha Clan.

"…Oh." She looked away, staring at the ground with the same monochrome colors she grew up with. "Well, it doesn't matter. We need to get back."

"Agreed." He looked around and nodded to her. "Come on, we're close."

She ran forward after her brother when she sensed something running behind them. "Katsumi, they're right behind us!"

"_Shit_." He stopped and grabbed her arm. "Go back, I'll hold them off. You need to warn Madara if the compound isn't under attack yet."

"What about you?"

"I'll be fine." He poked her one last time on her forehead. "Now go!"

Nodding her head, she continued running, trying desperately to forget the fear in her brother's eyes.

She ran and ran, only turning her head back once to check behind her. But because of this, she didn't see the trap that she had sprung before it was too late. She felt pain in her legs and she tumbled to the ground.

"Ahh!" She grabbed her angle and saw an arrow through it. She saw the black of her blood flowing down onto her foot, pain shooting throughout her entire body. She tried to stand on it but it was impossible, she felt as if there were knives being stabbed through her entire leg.

"Fuck fuck fuck." She didn't know what to do –

"Well, what do we have here?" She whirled her head to meet the enemy shinobi that had followed her. "Oh, I know! A dumb kunoichi who wasn't paying attention to where she was going."

"S-Shut up." She hissed out. She pulled herself against the tree, trying to put as much distance between them.

"Well, I would _but_ I don't want too." He smiled. "Big Boss wants you missy, especially since you're Madara's sister." He rubbed his finger in the symbol of cash.

She held up her kunai but before she could do anything, she started to feel nauseous and faint. "What the…hell?"

"Poison."

The last thing she saw before she fainted was the smile of her enemy.

* * *

Her head shot up and Izumi gasped for air – confusion, terror, and anger the only things on her mind. The pain in her ankle also did not help her with calming her down.

"Calm down."

She whirled around to find the source of the voice in whatever room – no, cell – she was in. "Where am I?" Her voice came out hoarse from disuse. "Why is it so dark in here?"

"What are you talking about?" Came the reply. The voice was deep, like a man's.

"It's pitch black." She blinked her eyes and everything still remained dark.

There was a rustling sound and she turned her head towards it. It sounded near but after listening, Izumi realized that there was a wall in between the other person and her. "It's not pitch black. There are lamps lit in the hallway."

"…What?" The pain in her ankle forgotten, she started to rub at her eyes. No no, this couldn't be happening. Her eyes, what were wrong with her eyes? "A-Are you telling me that I'm blind?" Her question had a lace of panic within it. "I can't be blind, I can't!"

Her eyes, what did that son of a bitch do to her eyes?

"You need to calm down, take some deep breaths."

She couldn't see, she _couldn't see._

"Hey, you need to listen to me!"

She could still feel her eyes, so what was wrong with them?

"_Goddamn girl, listen to me!"_

Startled out of her thoughts by the sudden yell, she realized that she was being hysterical. Moving her hands in front of her to find something to hold on too, she found a small futon and sat onto it. "Sorry."

"Kami, take a breath." Touching her surroundings, she noticed that the cell was damp and cold, signs of being underground. She reached for her chakra and that was when she noticed that she couldn't feel it.

At all.

"What did they do to my chakra?" She asked, feeling panic rising up in her chest again. All the things that helped comfort her were gone, the dull pulsing of her chakra and the sensing of her surroundings.

"You mean _our_ chakra." Her cellmate replied. "I can't see a seal on me but I can tell when one is being used. They must have placed one onto us when they brought us here."

Izumi punched the wall next to her in frustration. "So they seal off our chakra. Great." Bringing her hands to her hair, she gripped it and started to pull on it.

Maybe this was just a dream and she'd wake up.

"…Why did they seal off your eyes?" There was suspicion in his voice and she knew it wouldn't be long before he figured out why. But she couldn't just tell him who she was, it was a danger – even if they both were trapped. "You're an Uchiha, aren't you?" Came the question that was bound to have been asked sooner or later.

She involuntarily winced at the sudden anger in the man's voice when he practically spat out her Clan name. It sure didn't take him long to figure out who she was. "I'm not going to say yes or no to that."

The sudden sound of a door being opened interrupted their conversation. "Well, it looks like you're awake."

"_You_," She growled out. "what the fuck did you do to my eyes, you asshole?!"

"Someone's angry." The voice of the man who captured her replied. "We had to take some…precautions because of your eyes. You know, your dojutsu and all."

"You fucking –"

"I hope you enjoy your stay here because both of you guys are going to be sold to the highest bidder in about…a week, maybe less."

* * *

"Help me escape." She asked the person in the cell next to hers a few days after meeting with her capturer. "You can see, can't you?" There was no reply and she let out a sound of frustration. "It's 'cause I'm an Uchiha, right? You don't want to help me because of that reason." She reached for the bars of her cell and placed her head on the side of the wall that separated them. "Come on, don't you want to leave?"

"I do but I don't want a blind and injured person to drag me down." Came the blunt reply.

"Well if you manage to unseal my chakra, I won't be that blind."

"What about your ankle? It's not like you can walk on it."

"I'll just have to reinforce it with chakra until further help comes." This could work, they could surprise the next guard when he came down to bring them their food –

There was a sudden explosion and the ground around them started to shake. She fell backwards and hit her head on the floor. "What the hell?" She asked out loud while rubbing the sore spot on her head. She hated being blind, both in sight and chakra. She couldn't sense with her chakra what was happening around her and she couldn't see what had broken.

She couldn't escape even if she wanted.

The man in the cell next to her started to shuffle around and that was when she heard the sound of metal hitting the stone floor. Well he was lucky, wasn't he? Being able to escape, while she had to stay trapped here. The sound of feet hitting the stone started to fade away and that was when Izumi knew she was screwed. Her only way out had left her – not that it surprised her.

She stood up and put her weight on her injured ankle, trying to ignore the pain that shot up through her leg. She could do it, all she had to do now was find out where the door to her cell was. Maybe if she was lucky, it had broken down like the cell next to hers.

Izumi limped back to the front of her cell and shook the bars. They were loose, loose enough to where if she shook them they'd come loose. "Yes!" She started to shake them even harder, with all her strength. After a few seconds felt the metal lean forward and crash onto the ground, letting her escape. She made sure to keep one hand on the wall and took a tentative step forward, turning in the direction that she heard the man from earlier escaped in.

But what was she supposed to do once she left the dungeon she was in? The chances of her actually _escaping_ was second to _none_. For the first time since she was here, she felt tears pool in her useless eyes.

She would do it thought, she had to leave. Dying was better than being sold off to some random stranger.

Taking another step, the place around her started shaking after another explosion. She could tell that it wasn't long before the hallway she was in would collapse.

"Girl, give me your hand."

The sound of his voice shocked her and made her happy, her heart skipping a beat. "You came back?"

She heard him scoff. "I decided that the right thing to do right now is to help you. You're injured."

"Aw, how sweet. You do have a soft spot." She reached blindly for the hand he must have been giving to her but she found it nowhere. "I'd take the hand that you're _so_ gracefully extending to me but I can't see, remember?"

He sighed and she knew she had ticked a nerve. "You insufferable _child_." She felt him grab her outstretched arm. Huh, his hand was larger than what she expected.

"I'm eighteen for your information, nineteen in a month."

"Can you walk?" He ignored her and asked.

"Nope." She wiggled her toes and felt even more pain. "It hurts like a bitch."

"Language."

"I'm surprised you're so calm, the ground above us can collapse at any second, you know?"

"It won't. I'm going to have to carry you out of here before I can take a look at our seals, okay?"

"…You have to _what?_"

"Carry you. Now, let's go. I'm going to pick you up."

"What happens if I don't –"

"If you want to die here, then be my guest."

She sneered but let out a defeated sigh. "Fine." Izumi felt him wrap his arm under her shoulders and under her legs before picking her up, bridal style. She wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her out to their escape.

She heard the sounds of fighting and hoped that the man that she knew almost nothing about – who also happened to be carrying her – knew what he was doing.

* * *

Izumi's heart was beating really fast and she didn't understand why. What was wrong with her, why was she acting like this? She's never seen the man's face for Kai's sake!

"I'm going to set you down, okay?" She nodded her head and untangled her arms from his neck.

"Do you think you can do something about this seal?" She asked. She wanted to see, after not being able to for a week she _needed_ too.

"Probably. Can you turn your back to me?" She nodded her head and turned around. "The seal they put on us was a paper seal – those idiots. I'm going to have to lift your shirt." He did exactly that and she felt his hand touch something before she felt a sticker like substance peel off of her skin.

Almost overwhelming her, she felt chakra rush throughout her entire body. "Yes!" She screamed out in joy. But her happiness was short lived when she realized her sight had not returned.

"What's wrong?"

"I still can't see." There must have been a second seal for her eyes, one that wasn't easy to remove.

"I can't sense anything because my chakra's still blocked. I need you to remove my seal because I can't reach it."

She agreed and pulled up the back of his shirt. "I don't know where it is though and I can't feel it."

"What?"

Izumi nodded her head and furrowed her forehead. "Yeah. Actually, I can sense something right…here." She stopped her hand and she felt him shiver, but she ignored it. "Should I try to use my chakra to deactivate it then?" She felt him tense under her hand.

"It's not the best of ideas –"

"You got another?" She argued. "I'm going to do it."

"If you damage my chakra system I swear to Kami I'll kill you."

"'Kay." And in a blink of an eye she inserted her chakra into the seal. There was a popping sound and Izumi felt herself being pushed away by some sort of shockwave. She was disorientated and felt…off.

"Are you okay?" There was a ringing in her ears but she nodded.

"Is your seal off? Did it work?" She asked, hoping that the person in front of her wasn't going to hurt her for doing something wrong.

"Yeah. I can sense another seal on your eyes, one that's preventing them from working." He touched the side of her eyes and she felt his finger linger on her face. "It's an easy seal that I can get rid of, okay?" She nodded her head and braced herself.

Izumi felt him gather his chakra in his hand before placing it on her seal, breaking the barrier that prevented her from using her eyes. She slowly blinked, the pitch black of being blind fading away to the usual monochrome she was used to seeing.

But as she met her eyes with the man in front of her, something she didn't understand started to happen. Her heart started to beat harder and she felt a warm feeling flow through her chest, while the usual black and white faded into different…_colors_. "N-No…" He also widened his eyes, recognizing what was happening to the two of them.

"Y-You? You're my fucking Soulmate?!"

* * *

_Present_

* * *

With a cry, Izumi brought her sword down onto the grass next to Tobirama's face. She leaned on her katana, tears starting to fall onto the ground. She felt his hand touch her gingerly, pulling them away from the weapon before holding them in his own hands.

"Why can't you kill me?"

She was crying even harder. "H-How can I? You're supposed to be my Soulmate, my other half." She bowed her head. "You saved me, five years ago. I _can't _kill you."

He sat up and she sat between his legs. "What are we going to do then? This isn't something that we can obviously ignore."

She sniffed before sighing in defeat. "I don't know."

Tobirama lifted her chin to see her eyes. "You saw me that day, didn't you? The day I almost died." Izumi nodded her head before involuntarily leaning into his touch. "You saved me that day too, did you know?"

Shock lit up in her eyes. "Really?"

"Whatever you did, you managed to keep the wound stable until my brother arrived to heal me." She let out another sob, prompting Tobirama to bring her towards his chest in a hug.

"I hate this." She said into his chest. "I wish this whole deal with Soulmates and colors didn't exist."

"I do too. It's a pain."

"T-Tell me about it." She let out a little laugh, feeling whole for the first time since Izuna's death. "So…now what?"

"We just do what we need to do. We'll figure something out."

* * *

Izumi smiled when she saw the colors around her erupt into newer, unknown colors. Her smile got even wider when she saw who was waiting for her at the river. "Tobirama!"

Tobirama turned to the voice and smiled, the colors around him becoming more vibrant. "Izumi."

She ran towards the man and threw herself at him in a hug. "Tell me about the colors in the sunset today." She asked as she pulled away. She didn't let him answer and proceeded to pull him towards the cliff that gave a great view of the evening sky.

Izumi sat down, leaning against his chest as she pointed to the different colors. "What's the name of that one?" She asked, sounding like an excited little kid.

"That one's orange." He wrapped his arm around her and pointed to another color in the sky. "That one right there is violet."

She smiled, feeling content. "You know, there's one color I knew before all of these." Izumi said, turning towards her Soulmate.

"Which is?"

She looked into his eyes. "Red." She smiled. "The color of your eyes and the color of love."

He snickered before it turned into a full blown laugh. "Well then, you got something to say to me?"

She looked at him in a false look of anger before pouting. "Nope."

"You sure?"

"Yup."

"We'll see about that." Before she could run away, he started to tickle her. She couldn't help but let out another laugh before trying to the same back. It lasted for a few minutes but the end result was her laying on her back with Tobirama leaning above her. "Any last words?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Sure, I got many."

"Oh?"

"It's true. I'm a girl of many words."

He leaned down even closer and her playful wall of defiance fell. "So what are your last words?" She knew she wouldn't be able to win against Tobirama and so she uncrossed her arms and placed them both on the sides of his face.

"I love you."

He smirked before closing the gap between their lips. "I love you too."

Some never find their Soulmates, while others lose them to war. But there would always be those who did find them, forever sealing their destiny. It brought enemies together in love and it would someday end wars.

This was the power of Souls.

* * *

**A/N:**_ I'M SORRY THIS ISN'T AN UPDATE TO THE EPILOUGE! I'M JUST SO STUCK AND BLEH. _

_I've had this AU stuck in my head so here this is! It's not good and it probably sucks but oh well! _

_So I've decided that I'll post my AU stories about "Looking into His Eyes" on these so they'll always have __**AU**__in them, so be warned. If you guys don't want to read the AU/Omake stories please pay attention to the title name!_

_So, the funny thing is that when you start reading about Soulmate AU's it makes you want to write about them._

_So ta-dah. _

_I know this was a so-so chapter but I hope you enjoyed it? It's obviously an AU so the story doesn't really go along with the original but I managed to incorporate some of it. *shrugs* oh well._

_I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS!_

_So don't forget to follow/fav. and __**PLEASE REVIEW!**_

_Until next time!~_


	29. Final Epilogue

_**PLEASE READ THIS A/N. IT CONCERNS THE EPILOGUE CHAPTERS.**_

_**A/N:**__ FOR NEW READERS, PLEASE IGNORE THIS PARAGRAPH AND GO DOWN TO THE NEXT ONE. PREVIOUS READERS, PLEASE CONTINUE READING._

_Anyways, hey guys. I know, I know, it's been MONTHS since I last uploaded a chapter related to the Epilogue. I'm so so sorry! When it came to this chapter (and the Epilogue in general) I kept hitting a brick wall that prevented any further progress. It may seem like I haven't been doing anything, but believe me, I have been. I deleted so many paragraphs and documents just because it was so bad and I just couldn't finish them. I honestly tried but I just __can't__. So, I'm sorry, but I won't be continuing the Epilogue as you guys know it. Please forgive me! I just have zero ideas/clues on how to finish it. I won't be keeping those two chapters up (and for those of you who are new, just ignore this.) Once again, I'm sorry._

_However, with this chapter, Izumi and Tobirama's story will come to an end. It's not a long chapter and it's completely different and separate from the other Epilogue chapters. This is just complete and total AU (obviously) and I feel like this is a perfect ending. This story started with reincarnation and it will end in reincarnation._

_I love all of you, you have made my life very happy. I went through some dark and heavy times that no one knows about with LIHE, yet this story and you readers always managed to help me smile. I loved writing for you guys and I loved reading the positive response that came with each chapter. I still love the reviews I get! It kinda saddens me that I have to say goodbye to Izumi and those I created for this story, but at the same time, it makes me proud that I managed to create characters that people enjoyed reading about._

_I am writing a new story right now but I won't be posting it just yet. It's probably going to be another Tobirama/Oc story because I've realized that writing during the Warring States Period I can pretty much make up the people and the plot in between the Canon that happened. _

_Anyways, I love you and I hope that you enjoy this final chapter of LIHE!_

_Until next time!~_

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO AND ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS OR PLOTS. I ONLY OWN MY OC IZUMI AND ANY OTHER.

* * *

**Days go on forever  
****But I have not left your side.  
****We can chase the dark together  
****If you go then so will I.**

_Anthem of the Angels_ by Breaking Benjamin

* * *

**Final Epilogue**

_Time Period__: Third Shinobi War  
__Location__: Unknown town in the Land of Fire._

* * *

"Please help us!"

The young woman internally sighed before opening the door, revealing two flustered villagers. "How can I help you?" She asked. She knew the two in front of her, they were her neighbors. They were friendly enough but she never bothered introducing herself to them. So what did they want?

"W-We found a shinobi passed out in front of our house. T-There was b-blood everywhere!"

She scratched her head and leaned on the frame of the door. "And?" Nothing shocking about that. There were plenty of injured Shinobi nowadays, especially with the war going on.

"We heard you were a doctor." There it was. She knew that one of those kids would open their mouths about her.

"You want me to help him? This…man, that I have no idea who he is?"

"W-Well…"

She sighed. "Don't worry, I'll help him. Let me get my stuff." Keeping the door open, she left the couple to get her items. After a few seconds, she returned and motioned to them. "Let's see the patient."

The run to her neighbor's house only took about a minute and immediately, she could sense the powerful chakra that must have belonged to the shinobi they were talking about.

"W-We left him on the couch." She didn't bother taking off her shoes at the doorway and walked straight into the living room. However, she froze at the headband the man wore.

It was a Konoha hitai-ite.

"Crap."

"I-Is everything alright?" She turned around and nodded to the two.

"Oh! Yes, I'm sorry. Everything is fine."

She really didn't want to do this but if she walked away, right here, she would be abandoning her duties as a doctor, as an Iryo-nin. Her mentor would be disappointed in her. Making sure she still had her kunai resting right along her waistband, she walked over to the injured man.

At first glance, there seemed to be no blood on the man like she was told there was earlier. There was blood on his hair but that was about it. However, when she looked closer, she could see the blood that was coating the blue of his uniform.

There was no mask, so he wasn't ANBU. But the one thing that bothered her was the fact that he was missing the Chunin vest that was the standard uniform for Konoha during war-time.

"Hashimoto-san, can I use your table?" She asked, turning around to her elderly neighbors.

"Of course. Do you need help carrying him?"

"I'll be fine. Just make sure I can quickly place this man on the table." As carefully as she could, she lifted the man up and walked over to the next room, gently placing the man on the table.

"Can you hand me the scissors from my bag?" She asked, not bothering to turn her head around.

"H-Hai." The old lady returned with her scissors and the bag. "I wasn't sure if you would need anything else from the bag, so I brought it all."

"Thank you." She'd have to cut open the shirt. He had another one somewhere anyways.

The only sounds in the room were the quiet snipping of her scissors and the pained breaths that came from the man in front of her. Luckily for her, the blood hadn't dried to the point where it would have stuck onto the man's wounds like an adhesive. That would've been a pain to get pull off, both physically and mentally.

"I'd like you to fill a bowl with warm water for me. Also, if you have a towel to spare I'll need it." She knew that the they did exactly as she asked with the cluttering of the sink and the warmth that suddenly came from behind her.

However, she needed to concentrate. She let herself focus on her chakra and prepared the jutsu that she would need to use.

There were three stab wounds located around the abdomen. His arm was dislocated and his wrist broken. No neck or head injuries. Judging by the lack of puss around the wounds and no fever, the wounds were fresh. The possibility of infection would be high unless she healed him. His ankle was swollen, probably sprained. Without further diagnosis, she also wouldn't be sure if the wounds were poisoned or not. It mostly depended on the Hidden Village he had fought against, if it was Sunagakure, then the possibility of him being poisoned was high.

She took a deep breath and began.

Her hands moved quickly and with ease. She let herself get caught in the rhythm of healing, allowing full concentration on the patient. It took a while―and most of her chakra―but the critical wounds were stabilized. As much as she wanted to fully heal them, she didn't have the chakra to expend, especially since she still needed to fix his wrist.

"Will he be okay?"

"For now." She turned around and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. "I still need to fix his wrist and he'll need stiches." The old man handed her the warm bowl of water with the towel. "Thank you." She smiled at the man. The blood was a bother for them, she could tell. There was blood all over him, on his body and on his hair. Parts of it were white but most red from blood. She'd have to wipe all that blood away so she could focus on stitching the shinobi too. But before she could go through with her plans, she sensed the sudden change in chakra from behind her.

She pushed the two elderly couple away from her and whirled around. The metal bowl in her arms became her shield as the shinobi brought down a kunai onto her. Crap, she should've been paying attention. Why didn't she notice the man waking up and stealing her only weapon? She wanted to sigh but it didn't matter anymore, she needed to calm the man down.

"Sir! Please stop―"

"Who the hell are you?" He hissed out after she pushed him away.

She kept the metal bowl in-between them. "I'm a doctor. The elderly couple in the other room found you passed out."

He narrowed his eyes. "You're no doctor. You're a kunoichi." She remained silent and allowed him to assess her, as much as she wanted him _not _to. "You have more chakra than a civilian should have."

"Sir, just…please let me continue healing you. I'll tell you who I am later."

"You could be a spy."

She scoffed at his accusation. "I can assure you, I'm no spy. So please―" With a speed that amazed her, he threw the kunai towards her face. Out of pure instinct, her eyes flashed red and she avoided it by moving her head to the right.

She saw the change on his face and the only word that came to her mind were, well, _shit_.

"You're a…_Uchiha?_" She didn't answer. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's your headband, your uniform?"

"I don't have one." She scowled. "I'll tell you, so sit your sorry ass down so I can heal you. I know for sure that your right arm is feeling like a million needles stabbing you." She forced a smile on her face and placed the metal bowl on the table. "Okay?"

"I―" Before the man could reply, his eyes rolled white and he fainted.

…_Fuck_.

* * *

_**Three Hours Later  
**__Eleven P.M._

* * *

"I recommend staying at an inn for a few days. It would be too dangerous for you to stay here." She told the elderly couple. "If you would also allow me to stay here to watch over him, I would be grateful."

Hitomi, the old lady, smiled at her. "I hear what you do for the orphans in our town. You feed them, you give them clothes, you heal them." The surprise on her face made the Hitomi laugh. "Thank you."

"T-There's nothing for you to thank me for―"

"You can use whatever that is in the house. We'll stop by tomorrow around the afternoon to see how that young man is doing. It's the least we can do, especially for what you did."

"I…" She was speechless but it didn't stop her from bowing. "Thank you so much."

After saying goodbye to the two couples, she turned around to the unconscious man on the couch. His wounds were stitched―she had to stop his bleeding _again_ after what he did earlier―and his arm was wrapped to prevent movement. There was wood wrapped with cloth to prevent movement on his ankle.

Coincidentally, the moment she sat in front of him, she sensed that he was awakening.

"Ugh…"

"Don't bother moving." She harshly said. "You'll move the bandages and hurt your arm again. Maybe even worsen it." She saw him glare at her but he remained silent. At least he was listening to her.

A minute passed before he broke the silence. "How do I know you didn't injure me even more?"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, baffled by what he just accused her of doing. "You know, it's not like I just used up most of my chakra to heal your pasty ass." Crossing her arms across her chest, she lifted her legs up onto the coffee table in between her and the other couch. "Actually, forget it. I'm just here because I do what I have too as a doctor."

"…Earlier, your eyes." There was the million dollar question she was waiting for. "You're an Uchiha."

"No, I'm not. I'm half Uchiha. My dad is some dude who was my mom's one-night stand. Didn't even know his damn name and he sure doesn't know I exist. I like to keep it that way." She shrugged. "I do go by Uchiha though. It gains more respect for me."

"Why doesn't Konoha know about you?"

"I could care less about major villages. But you know what I'm interested in?" She asked. "I'm more interested in the fact that no one is trying to find you. I haven't seen or sensed any other shinobi in this area." Now the dude kept his mouth shut. Gah, what the hell was his problem? It was seriously pissing her off. "Nothing? You're not going to say anything?" He stayed quiet but was still looking at her. "Fine then. Can you at least tell me a name so I don't have to keep calling you that man?"

He seemed to think about what to say for a couple of seconds before telling her. "I'm Tobirama."

"Tobirama?" She almost laughed. "You're named after the Nidaime Hokage?"

"Yes." She could sense the sudden discomfort in his tone.

A small chuckle left her mouth. "You even look like the dude." She saw a scowl, which made her smile even more.

Tobirama, seeing this smile, felt his heart skip a beat. It seemed…so familiar. He couldn't recall ever meeting this woman but…the sense of nostalgia was almost overwhelming.

"You're not going to tell me your name?"

"Why? You can just call me Uchiha-sama." The black-haired woman smirked and saw the man look at her in annoyance. "Or Uchiha-san. Either one works."

"Yeah, I'll just go with the Uchiha-san."

"Fine then. Anyways, you need rest, okay? After our little bonding party we just had, you don't have to worry about me, alright. I'm not going to kill you."

"You call that bonding? I find that very pathetic if you think that it was. I still have no reason to trust you." Tobirama turned his head away from the Uchiha.

"You don't." She bluntly stated. "But, I'm the only reason why you're alive at this moment. If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here telling me your name. So, I'm going to sit here and watch you like your nonexistent stalker to make sure you're okay. It's up to you if you want to sleep or be pathetic and stay awake when you really have no need too." She smiled. "Either way, I'm going to be here."

She leaned a little more into the cushions and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

* * *

_**The Next Day**__  
__Eight A.M._

* * *

"Oi, Tobirama."

"What?"

"I need to go into town to get some supplies." The Uchiha walked over to him and glared at his handsome face.

What?

Why did she just say handsome?

…Whatever, she had more important things to do.

"Like you said last night, you have zero reasons to trust me. I know." She pointed to his arm and to his ankle. "However, while I'm gone, I don't suggest leaving this house. You won't make it to Konoha in…" She motioned to all of him. "This. Besides, even if you did you won't get far. You'll just sprain your ankle even more _and_ probably rip open your stitches."

"I know."

"Good." She poked his shoulder and he winced.

"What the hell was that for?" He hissed out, rubbing his shoulder.

"You annoy me." She smiled and waved at him. "Bye!"

She walked out of the house and checked through her mental list of items she needed to get.

She'd need to get several herbs that would help greatly with preventing infection. She'd also need a mixture that helped relax the muscles around his ankle. She would need to get food―because she wouldn't use her neighbor's food because that was just overstaying her welcome―and she needed to get some cleaning supplies to get rid of the blood around the house.

She hoped she had enough money.

She silently hummed to herself as she walked along the path towards the center of town. She let her thoughts wander and immediately, Tobirama's face came to mind. She felt so much sadness…so much guilt and she didn't know why. She felt familiar to him as if she knew who he was too, but she had never seen him in her twenty years of life.

"Nee-san!" She turned around and smiled at the group of children in front of her.

"Hello." She tilted her head in curiosity. Why did they look so scared? "What's wrong?"

"There are a bunch of scary shinobi asking if they saw an injured man." Kiyomi, the smallest of the four, said.

She quickly stood up and turned her head towards the direction she just came in. "_Tobirama._" She looked down to the children. "You four go back to your home, alright? If they question you, tell them you don't know what they're talking about. Don't mention me too, alright?" She saw them all nod. "Good."

She started running back towards the house, worry pushing her to go faster. She wished she could use her chakra but after yesterday, she didn't have any to spare. Rushing up the stairs to the door, she rushed inside.

"Tobirama, you need to go upstairs now."

"What's wrong?" He sat up and winced. "What happened?"

She nervously gulped and shook her hands. "There is a group of shinobi looking for you. We're on the outskirts of the town but I can tell that they're going to be here soon." She ran to him and helped him stand up. "I need you to conceal your chakra as much as you can. You need to keep some revealed to make it seem like a civilian. Okay?"

"…Alright." She quickly led him to the bedroom upstairs.

"Here's a kunai. If something…happens to me, I don't know if you'll survive or not." She took a deep breath and pointed to the ring around his neck. "Give me that."

"What?" He shook his head. "This was my mother's, like hell am I going to give it to you―"

"Goddamn it Tobirama, we don't have time to be bickering about this like some old married couple!" She held out her hand. "Give it to me before I take it!"

She saw the anger in his eyes as he took off his necklace and handed it to her. "What do you plan on doing?"

"I'm going to be your wife for ten minutes." She rushed to the closet in the room and took off her shirt. She ignored the man behind her and threw on a shirt that belonged to the old man. "Stay here."

She took the ring off the chain and put the ring on as she rushed downstairs. She grabbed her katana and placed it along her waistband. She tried to hide all the bloody rags and that was when she heard a voice from the front of the house. "Hello, is someone here?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she walked to the front door and placed a large, fake smile on her face. "Hello, can I help you?" She asked.

The leader of the group turned around and smiled at her. "Yes. We're wondering if you have seen an injured man around. He's about…this tall, white hair and red eyes." The man asked. He had a Iwagakure hitai-ite on his waist and that worried her even more.

"No, I'm sorry."

He tiled his head and pointed to her hair. "I see blood. Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yes." She tried fixing her hair, making sure to show off the ring on her hand. "My husband was cutting wood yesterday and he hurt himself, so I had to stich him right up. He's so damn clumsy." She faked a laugh. The shinobi in front of her did the same.

"You're right. He is clumsy." He smiled again but this time, it was…different, and it scared her. "You see, we have a tracker on this team and we found his blood trail. It led us here."

She nervously gulped and as casually as she could, she placed her right hand behind her back, onto the hilt of her katana. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. I'm just a wife caring for her husband."

"Let's stop the lies. You won't get hurt if you just tell us where he is."

As tempting as his offer was, she didn't have it in her to do exactly that. That would mean in Tobirama's death and that was something she couldn't allow.

"I'm sorry. I want you to leave my property." She nervously smiled. "Thank you."

"You asked for it." The leader motioned for his group to follow him. "Move."

"No." She allowed adrenaline to rush through her body. "I can't." She shoved the leader away and slammed the door, locking it.

Rushing back upstairs, she knew that something as simple as that wouldn't stop them. She threw open the door to the bedroom and saw Tobirama standing up. "Why are you helping me?"

"Because it's the right thing to do." She unsheathed her katana and stood in front of him. "Iwa-nin's killed my mentor, I can't just let them take you. I don't like them, I guess you can say."

"Still―"

"No, it's fine. I'll stop them." She smiled at Tobirama. "Don't worry." There was a crash from the front of the house and she flinched, knowing what was going to happen in the next thirty seconds. "Deep breaths. You can do this." She gripped her katana even harder and walked into the hallway.

"We found you!" The leader of the Iwa-nin sadistically smiled at her. "You'll both die today."

She allowed herself to smile before rushing to the five enemy-nins. She knew they weren't expecting her to amount to much, thinking that she was some stupid civilian. She would show the how wrong they were.

With precision, she brought her katana down on the large enemy on the right. Not enough to kill him but enough to where he would be hurt and lose enough blood to render him useless. Then, she proceeded to activate her sharingan. Whirling around, she caught the two enemies by surprise and placed them under a genjutsu.

"What the hell? You're an Uchiha?"

"You could say that." She held her katana up and blocked the sword from the fourth enemy. He was avoiding her eyes yet managed to nearly overwhelm her. She was more on the defense than the offense and the enemy knew. He managed to nick her every few seconds and she knew it was only a matter of time before she would mess up, killing her. Only was it out of pure luck that she saw an opening and managed to kick the man away. Still, he threw a kunai and she didn't have time to avoid it. It lodged itself into her shoulder and she cried out in pain. However, she pushed it away and rushed to where the enemy fell. Grabbing the sides of his head, she held it up and met his eyes with her own, effectively placing him in a genjutsu like the other two.

However, she didn't have any time to waste because the leader of the group was behind her, fighting Tobirama. They were struggling and it was obvious that Tobirama was about to lose.

"No!" She widened her eyes and saw the enemy raise his weapon. Without even a second thought, she threw her sword and watched as it pierced through his armor and his body. She heard a sound of surprise before he turned to her. There was blood gurgling from his mouth before he collapsed onto the ground.

She stood still, her breathing irregular. Tobirama was splattered with blood but not his, thankfully. "Oh my god…" She looked at her hands. "I just…I just…I didn't mean to…"

"Hey, you alright?" He limped over to her.

"I just…I just…" She turned her head up to him and he was…speechless. He saw tears pooling in her eyes. "I just…killed him."

"Wait, have you never…?" She shook her head. "Is this your…first?"

"I didn't mean too…I didn't want…I…" She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "It doesn't matter. We need to leave, now. Konoha is at least two weeks' worth of travel, maybe more with your ankle." She wiped away the tears before they could fall. "I don't want to talk about what happened. I don't need to be reminded of what I did."

* * *

_**Two months later**_

* * *

"You're leaving?"

She turned to Tobirama and smiled. "Yup." She lifted her bag up and stuck her tongue out. "I don't like big villages. I like the small towns, keeps me unnoticed." She looked down and kicked a rock. "I've been here long enough."

"Will…I ever see you again?"

"I don't know, you tell me. Will you try to find me?"

Tobirama thought about her question. "Maybe."

She pursed her lips and tilted her head. "Why?"

"You…intrigue me for reasons I don't know."

She laughed. Her laughs always flustered him, made his heart beat faster than it should've. "Keep in touch, will you? I gave you my address."

"Don't worry, I will." She hugged Tobirama. "Besides, I don't think this is the last time I'll be seeing you." She felt him wrap his own arms around her. She pulled away after a few seconds and adjusted her straps on her bag.

"Can you tell me your name at least?" The white-haired man asked.

"I guess I forgot that I never told you my name." She pulled away and saluted. "I will tell you my name sir! I'm Uchiha Izumi." She clapped her hands together. "Call me Uchiha-sama."

"That is not happened."

"Aww, that's too bad." She turned around and saw that the group she was going to be travelling with was about to leave her behind. "I have to go. It was nice meeting you Tobirama."

"I…" He hung his head down before looking back up. "It was nice meeting you too Izumi."

He watched as she waved goodbye and ran towards the village gate.

Uchiha Izumi.

He smiled before placing his hand over his heart. _Uchiha Izumi._

She was right, this wasn't the last time he would see her.

* * *

**_T_****_he End_**


End file.
